Not in the Cards
by starlitkoneko
Summary: Marik is back in Domino to stay.  Romance blossoms, but they say love changes you.  Can Marik deal with these changes, or will they ruin his life forever?
1. Introduction

Not in the Cards

**Prologue**

Our story takes place following the Battle City Tournament; however it deviates greatly from the plotline from therein. It does not go on to follow the events depicted in the Anime, and is not meant to relate to the plot at all. This time frame is chosen simply because it revolves around a theme known as ThiefShipping - a.k.a. the pairing of Yami Bakura & Marik.

This story involves questionable plot points including, but not limited to: out of character development, yaoi, and genderswap. You have been warned.

**Setting**

After returning home, Marik dawned a kind of longing for Domino City and, after much negotiation, left Ishizu and returned to live there on his own. His older sister rarely visits, as she is now a solitary tomb-keeper, however they keep in touch by all necessary means.

Yami Bakura's spirit has been returned to Ryou's body and, while Ryou is still around, his Yami primarily runs their vessel. Upon Marik's return, Yami Bakura made an effort to meet up with the ex-villain, only to learn of his new morals. Though he did not turn a blind eye to his own innate evilness, Yami Bakura found himself intrigued by Marik's change of heart, and invited the ex-tomb-keeper to live in his hikari's home. At first, Marik turned down the offer, arguing that he was in the process of finding himself a place to live, but Bakura knew better than that. Those who lived in Domino City were either families or beings with intentions of their own. Sensing that the new, moralistic Marik would not stand to be forced, Bakura suggested the boy live with him just until he found a place to call his own. This, after a little thought, Marik agreed to.

It was barely a week before the pressure got to the newcomer and he began to see the props of sharing a home. Aside from the companionship, there was no way he could afford a place nearly as nice as the one he'd been invited to share. Still, his stubborn pride brew somewhere deep inside of him and he insisted on moving out after he found a job and earned more spending money. Bakura offered only a knowing smirk.

Ryou played a part in creating what would be quite the unexpected turn of events, though he didn't know it at the time. The gentler boy simply reveled in companionship as well, and spent every moment of ownership over his body tending to Marik's needs. At first, the tanned boy dismissed the paler one's efforts, inviting him to go about his day normally, or at the least just sit and talk, but Ryou wouldn't have it. He cooked meals and his own favourite snacks, quickly learning what the foreigner had a tongue for and, consequently, what made him miserable. Once, after attempting to mother him with a hot bowl of chicken soup, Ryou (along with his shirt and rug) quickly learned that their guest had certain diet restrictions.

**Chapter one**

Startled by the other's outburst, Ryou subjected himself to Bakura's control. Trying to control his temper, Bakura went to where they kept the cleaning supplies and gathered what he'd need to care for the rug. When he returned to the living room, Marik couldn't help but notice he'd removed his shirt and hadn't bothered to replace it. Without hesitation, Bakura dropped to the floor and began to clean up the mess Marik had made. This was the first time Marik felt any noticeable attraction to the spirit, but chalked it up to his illness at the time. As Bakura turned to leave the room, still silent, Marik noticed the scar on his left arm from back when they first met. He felt a pang of guilt at this, but that pride of his filed that under delusions as well. Laying there in the loveseat where Ryou had sat him with a blanket and tea when his fever had struck, Marik was convinced Bakura wasn't coming back. He looked at the darker spots on the rug where the leave-in cleaner was sopping up any excess liquid and felt some remorse, but the way his stomach churned at the thought of eating meat reminded him that not stopping Ryou from feeding him the soup would have resulted in a mess far worse.

Bakura did return, eventually, and in his oven mitt-less hands he held a new bowl of soup which emitted waves of stem in an all-too-similar fashion to the previous.

"I can't eat that!" Marik whined. "I'm..."

"Shut up," Bakura's tone was firm, but there was no real anger in it, just impatience. He knelt beside the chair and rested the bowl on its plush arm, lifting the spoon slowly and blowing it cool. "Open your mouth."

Marik was hesitant, but obeyed when the spirit repeated his words more harshly. He was fed less than gingerly, but didn't immediately swallow. When his belated sense of taste kicked in, he found himself pleasantly surprised and swallowed the soup without fear. Wide-eyed, he looked at Bakura as the latter attempted to feed him again. "How did you kn..."

Bakura smirked as he shoved the spoon in the boy's mouth. "Ryou may be overly maternal for a boy, and not as good a cook as he likes to believe," he waited for Marik to swallow then fed him again, "but nobody has ever rejected his soup... without a damned good reason."

Marik blushed and pulled the bowl into his lap. In a quiet voice he mumbled, "I can feed myself, now..."

It may have been his imagination, but Bakura's smirk seemed to soften. He rose, exposing his still-bare chest and earning a blush from the boy, then tousled his blonde locks and told him, "get better soon. If our body gets any more maternal I just might snap."

Marik lay in bed that night feeling cold and alone for the first time since he'd moved to Domino. He thought of calling Ishizu then decided against it. His first call home would be a pleasant one, he'd decided. He turned to his side and shivered, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. He thought of Ryou sleeping peacefully in his room down the hall and, for a moment, thought of going to the kitchen for a midnight snack. He dismissed the idea, partially because he thought it wouldn't help and partially because he still considered himself a guest. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, hoping it would find the source of his disarray. Thoughts of home crossed through his head, thoughts of Ishizu and Odion... then, suddenly, thoughts of Bakura.

At that point, he didn't know which unsettled him more; that his subconscious would lead him there, or the warm, secure feeling that overcame him when they did.

"It's the medicine Ryou gave me," he told himself as the warmth was followed by a sudden wave of drowsiness, "never used medicine from a store before..."

But even as he slipped into unconsciousness, he knew the truth behind his feelings too well.

He had a crush.


	2. Friendship?

Marik kept his feelings hidden, which was easy as long as Ryou was around. The boy was nothing like his Yami, other than some physical appearances, which he could easily overlook by thinking of him as a younger sister. He felt a little guilty for this at first, but Ryou never exhibited masculine behavior so the feeling quickly passed. He went out more after that night, looking at potential homes in person rather than primarily through advertisements. He also went around town to any place that was hiring and filled out numerous applications, after having spent a week trying to submit digital ones and getting no response. Ryou had told him these things take time, but Marik didn't have time... or rather, didn't want to believe he did. Living with Bakura was supposed to be a temporary fix, just to keep him off the streets, and even if his feelings hadn't bested him he had begun to feel a little too comfortable there. Besides, the longer he stayed, the harder it would be to pry Ryou from his side and, though the boy had the best of intentions, he was becoming too much.

As the latter half of the day drew long, Marik decided to go back to his temporary place of residence. He took a small road that veered off his normal route, thinking that no harm could come from passing through Domino's other residential areas. As he cruised by quaint homes at a casual pace, he caught sight of a building which stood out from the others. Apart from being oddly-colored, the bulk of the house sat further from the sidewalk than the others, and there was a smaller attachment jutting from its front. Marik slowed to a stop to read the sign next to the house. It read 'Mutou Family Game Shop'.

"Mutou?" Marik mused to himself. His bike's engine purred in agreeance and he nodded to no-one in particular before parking beside the sign.

The jingle from the bell above the door startled Solomon, who had been busy tidying up his display case. He quickly shut it and folded his hands in a business manner. "Oh, hello! We don't usually get customers this late."

Was it late? Marik thought. The sky had just been yellowing as the sun travelled toward the horizon.

"Yes, forgive my intrusion, then," he said, eyeing the man's strangely-patterned locks of hair. If they weren't related, someone effed up a paternity test. "I was just wondering if Yugi Mutou lived here."

"Oh! Are you a friend of Yugi's?" Solomon seemed a little too interested for Marik's taste, but he smiled.

"Yes!" then his eyes darkened, "well, sort of. It's a bit of a long story..."

Solomon laughed heartily, "yes, with Yugi's friends, it always is. Just a moment, I'll tell him you're here."

As the man headed toward the stairs, he suddenly looked back with sharpened eyes. Marik's heart jumped and he took a step back toward the door. "If it's too much trouble, I can come back..."

Solomon watched with that odd, cat-like stare. "This isn't some kind of trick to get me to leave my card shop unsupervised, is it?"

Marik's eyes widened. He let a small sigh escape his throat then laughed a little too awkwardly. Solomon was still on guard. Marik mustered his best 'Namu' smile (as it would have been before) and shook his head. "No, I am here to see Yugi and that's all. I don't even play Duel Monsters anymore."

At this, Solomon's eyes grew wide. "You don't play Duel Monsters?"

The sheer disbelief in his voice was enough to make Marik laugh again, more sensibly this time. Solomon was smiling now, though he still seemed baffled at the thought as he disappeared up the stairs.

When Solomon told Yugi 'one of' his friends was there to see him, the boy thought his Grandpa was just being lazy and didn't care to mention which friend it was. Though he hadn't been expecting anyone, it didn't seem odd to him at all that someone would show up. He figured it'd be Joey, looking for a place to stay after another bad night at home, or maybe Tea to finally confess her love to him.

Okay, that last part was a fantasy, but a teenager can dream, can't he? At any rate, the person he saw was quite likely the last person he expected.

"Marik? What are _you_ doing here?"

Solomon seemed worried as he looked back and forth between the boys. His gaze settled on the visitor.

"I thought you said you were my grandson's friend?" the elder said accusatively.

"I said it was a long story," Marik bowed to show respect. "Your grandson and I have had our fallouts," he turned to Yugi, confusion evident in his eyes, "but I thought we had resolved our differences."

Yugi's mouth felt dry, so he swallowed once before attempting to speak. "Well, we have, but you went back home with your sister and..."

"And now I'm here again," Marik cut in, "to stay."

Though it took some convincing, Solomon finally allowed the boys to go upstairs to Yugi's room. Marik hadn't intended to stay very long, but he also hadn't expected their conversation to start on either side of a counter. The more he thought about it, the more he smiled with ease. Of course the King of Games would live in a hobby shop. It just wouldn't make sense any other way.

"Have a seat," Yugi waved a hand over the span of his room casually. "Anywhere you'd like."

Marik would have preferred to stand to keep things short, but ultimately chose the computer chair. It was comfortable enough for a quick chat, but not so that he'd overstay his welcome. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have come to your home unannounced."

"Oh, it's no big deal," Yugi spoke casually, cleaning up the cards he'd strewn across his sheets. "It's not like I live in a normal house. Lots of people find me by coming here."

Marik nodded, and felt more at ease. "I've been staying at Bakura's until I can get on my feet out here, so until today I didn't even know this place existed."

Yugi sat on his bed and raised an eyebrow. "Bakura lives on the other side of town, by Kaiba's place. What were you doing all the way out here?"

Marik shrugged, "job hunting, apartment browsing, typical on-your-own stuff."

Yugi shuffled his deck just for something to do. "Why?"

Marik blinked, not expecting the simple question. "Why? Well, I need a job to afford a place to live, and..."

"What's wrong with Bakura's?"

Yugi's forward attitude irked the blonde, but he caged his anger. "It's temporary. I'm just a guest there."

"I'm sure Bakura wouldn't mind if you lived with him," Yugi was, of course, referring to Ryou when he said 'Bakura', but that didn't stop Marik's blood from warming and chilling at each mention of the name. "Unless he's the one telling you to get a job and get out."

Marik shook his head, feeling the truth come out before he could ask himself why he was telling it. "No, I'm doing that on my own."

"Tell me something then, Marik," Yugi had put his cards away and was pulling out some kind of yearbook. "Why are you living there at all?"

Marik swallowed and stood up, "Yugi, this isn't why I came here tonight..."

Yugi looked up, "then what did you come here for, Marik?"

There was a maturity in his manner that hadn't been there before, and Marik found himself both pleased and angered by it. "I'm not sure, really. I thought maybe we could put our past behind us and become friends."

There was a faint blush that was all but invisible against his tanned face. Yugi softened. "Sure, Marik. I'd like that."

Marik nodded and offered his hand to the boy, who took it and stood up. He was a little taller than the tan blonde remembered, but not by more than an inch. As he turned to the door he almost said 'Ryou will be expecting me', but caught the words before they escaped. Instead he apologized again for his intrusion.

"You're fine," a voice too deep to be Yugi's chuckled. Marik halted, but didn't need to turn to know the pharaoh had more parting words. "You're not intruding on anyone, Marik... and Yugi and I aren't the only ones who think it."

Marik kept his head down all the way out, knowing his blush was noticeable now. He bid Solomon a quick and untraditional goodbye as he exited the Game Shop; Yami watched from the window as he shoved his helmet on and fumbled to get the bike running. Yami gave way to Yugi, though projected his spirit beside the boy to continue his watch. The corners of his mouth twitched against a satisfied smile. When Marik rode out of sight, Yugi turned to his dark half.

"Why did you say that to him?" the boy asked.

"As though you weren't pestering yourself, Aibou?" Yami taunted.

"I just don't want to see him on the streets, that's all," Yugi huffed. "At least with Bakura he has a home."

Yami moved to the side of the bed as his light crawled in and got comfortable. The yearbook was open to their class. Yami noted the tiny hearts next to Tea's photo; Yugi blushed and slammed the book shut. Yami laughed. "With my help, Aibou, I hope to have put him on a path toward something more than just a home."

"You mean friendship?" Yugi looked up hopefully, though a gleam in translucent eyes suggested something more.


	3. Flirting?

"You're late."

Marik jumped. Normally, his first step through the door was followed by Ryou appearing almost from thin air and speaking so quickly it was his guess if the sentence was question or statement. Tonight, however, the words he first heard were heavy, to the point, and not spoken by Ryou.

Marik shook his head and fluffed his hair. "A lot of places are hiring that weren't listed in the paper..."

"I don't care," Bakura turned and walked away. "I just can't sleep until you get home. Ryou won't let me."

Marik hated the way Bakura's sentences turned; they played with his emotions and made it hard to ignore his dumb feelings. "Well, I'm home now. Did Ryou make din...?"

"Where were you?" Bakura spun around suddenly and approached him. "You smell like Yugi."

As with before, Marik could only blink. "I... _smell_ like him?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed in a way that was hard to read. "You went to the Game Shop."

Marik thought about denying it, but why should he? "Yeah, I stopped by on my way home."

He hadn't meant to use that word, but Bakura didn't seem to notice. "That shop is on the other side of town."

Marik nodded, "the houses are smaller there, further from the center of town. I thought they'd be cheaper."

Something may have flashed in the pale boy's eyes, but Marik told himself he'd imagined it. "Were they?"

Marik hesitated; he hadn't found out. He chose to make something up, "not by much."

"Liar."

That single word was sharper than anything else he could have said. Before Marik could think of a reply, Bakura had walked off. When the tanned boy's legs began to work again, he strode toward the kitchen a little too eagerly. A hissing teapot sat on the stove and began to whistle. Marik went over, removed it, turned off the stove, and chose to pour himself a cup. If nothing else, he was going to need bedtime tea to calm his nerves tonight.

Had he rounded the corner, he'd have seen Bakura on the couch where he'd chosen to lie down... not that it mattered much. The spirit had gone and Ryou claimed ownership of his body once more. He strolled into the kitchen while rubbing his eye sleepily, though he hadn't slept at all as Bakura said. When he saw their guest browsing their tea collection, he smiled and walked over.

"Mind if I have a cup?" the gentle voice startled Marik, though he wasn't sure if he was glad Ryou was back. He handed the boy his favourite teacup and the mitt with which to grip the kettle, then took a step back after selecting a tea with ginger as an advertised ingredient. His stomach had started acting up suddenly, and he hoped to nip it in the bud.

"Bakura's mad at me," he found himself saying absently as he dipped the bag of leaves in hot water. Ryou nodded.

"That's my fault, I kept him up," he chose a box of tea at random and dropped the bag in, then began to clean up the mess Marik had made.

"That may have started it," the blonde barely noticed Ryou's actions, nor did he care to help this time, "but I..."

"Don't blame yourself," Ryou was hugging him, though he never saw the boy move. Even the differences weren't helping now; he knew it wasn't Bakura holding him but the crush didn't care. His breath became warm and heavy.

"Ryou," he whispered, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders and prying him away, "you can't..."

In an instant, the body before him grew larger. Not by much – just enough – and the eyes that looked into his wiped away any doubt he may have still had. There was an irritation in them still, but it was blanketed by curiosity, and undertoned by what (the crushing part of) Marik hoped was lust.

"You have a thing for my hikari, then?" Bakura's voice was different. Heavier. Marik's eyes widened.

"N...no!" he blushed, but couldn't find words to follow.

"Why, then," Bakura swiftly cupped the boy between his thighs and rocked his hand against what he felt, "did you react this way when he hugged you?"

Marik held his breath so as not to moan and closed his eyes. He felt his face warming and couldn't bare humiliation. His head began spinning and the feeling in his stomach was growing worse. "Bakura, stop..."

The blonde hadn't known if he'd thought or spoken those words, but Bakura was gone and Ryou's eyes were bigger than a caught-misbehaving puppy's. He seemed near frozen and his cheeks grew redder with every attempt he made to move his hand from where his Yami had left it. Marik was relaxing slowly, but still faster than Ryou, and aided the boy in taking his arm back to himself. Still blushing, Ryou spun around and continued restocking the tea cabinet. Marik sighed and reached for his own tea with a trembling hand; he removed the steeping bag and added a tablespoon's worth of sugar before downing half the cup in one sip.

"I'm sorry," Ryou was whispering, though it wasn't until the warm tea cleared his head that Marik heard it. The pale boy repeated the apology at random intervals, but continued to prepare his tea as though he were talking to himself.

"It's alright," Marik said at last, placing a hand on Ryou's shoulder and making the boy jump. His eyes were still wide, though considerably smaller than when he'd found himself in a compromising position. Marik smiled, "it's alright."

Ryou moved as though he was going to hug Marik again, and it was the blonde's turn to jump. Reconsidering his actions, Ryou snatched his tea and walked to the middle of the kitchen. "We should... I should go to bed, now."

Marik nodded. "Unless you'd rather sit and talk about something?"

Ryou shook his head, "no, that's alright. You were gone all day, I'm sure you need your rest."

"Thanks, Ryou," Marik said affectionately. He really hadn't recognized the boy's hospitality until now, and realized how thankless he'd been, "for everything."

Ryou's jitters stopped and he seemed in awe. "Everything?"

He nodded again, "everything. You've been a wonderful host while I've lived here, and I've done nothing but tell you not to. Truth is I don't think I deserve your kindness... but that doesn't mean I shouldn't respect it."

Marik was grinning now, out of sheer amusement at how stupid his speech sounded, but Ryou bought it. Better yet, he appreciated it. For the first time since living here he saw true happiness gleam in the young boy's eyes. "Thanks, Marik."

"You're welcome, Ryou. Sleep well."

"Goodnight."

Marik finished his tea in another sip, or maybe two. He poured a second cup of water and prepared it the same as the first, but with a little less sugar this time. He leaned against the counter, knowing that he'd probably have one more. His stomachache was subsiding, but the sugar was unnerving and he began to wonder if he'd be able to fall asleep that night.

Defying his expectations, Marik did not encounter Bakura the rest of the night, or the next morning. During breakfast (as he made a creative platter of toast with assorted toppings) Ryou shared a decision with Marik. After the incident with the soup, he had realized that his guest had hardly eaten breakfast at all in the two or three weeks he'd been living there. Marik shyly admitted that he could not eat many typical breakfast meals, and that's when Ryou announced his desire to go grocery shopping and stock up on vegetarian-friendly foodstuffs. Marik began to protest, but when the toast platter was laid between them he remembered how hard Ryou was trying, and dismissed his feelings with a smile.

"I won't be here much longer," he chose a slice with apple jam, "what if the stuff you buy goes to waste?"

"I'll see to it that it won't," Ryou chose a strawberry jam topping for himself. "So, will you take me to the grocery?"

Marik shook his head, "we'll take a cab; you can't bring stuff back on my motorcycle."

Ryou's eyes glimmered, "you could at least give me a ride there, couldn't you?"

Marik sprinkled cinnamon on the toast, purposefully not showing interest. "I won't be able to bring you back."

Ryou bit his lip then bowed politely, "Marik, I want to go for a ride on your motorcycle!"

Marik burst into a grin. He would never be able to work Bakura liked that, but he enjoyed seeing Ryou beg.


	4. Defense Mode

Later that day, Marik stood with Ryou until they had hailed a cab and loaded the groceries in, along with the spare helmet Ryou had worn on his ride.

"I still can't believe you had that," Marik said truthfully as he guided the boy into the cab. Ryou grinned.

"I had a lot of fun today, Marik. Try not to stay out late tonight, won't you?"

"I'll try," Marik checked that all of Ryou's limbs were in the cab then shut the door. The cab entered traffic.  
>Marik sighed; thankful Ryou hadn't seemed to catch his hesitation. While closing the cab door, he'd caught glimpse of the scar and felt that pang of guilt once more. This time, he told himself as he mounted his motorcycle, he couldn't make excuses.<p>

It hardly surprised him when he found himself at Yugi's again, but he _was_ surprised to hear that Yugi was out to lunch with his friends. Marik bowed politely and made to leave, but had no sooner prepped to start his bike when he heard familiar voices approaching the Game Shop.

"You really didn't need to walk me home, Joey," Yugi was embarrassed.

"Don't sweat it, Yuge," Joey casually blew him off, "after all, what are pals for?"

"Things like this, I guess," Yugi smiled. He looked ahead and caught sight of his guest.

Joey tensed, "is that who I think it is?"

Yugi nodded and approached the tan boy. "Marik, what are you doing back here?"

Marik observed the two and spoke slowly, "I needed to talk to you... about my situation."

"What situation?" Joey pried, but Yugi held him back.

"Joey, it's okay. I think you should go home, your dad will be..."

"Forget me, Yuge!" Joey pushed his friend away harder than he intended. "Why is he here?"

"I live here now," Marik said firmly. Joey fumed.

"What? Here?"

"Not _here_ 'here'," Yugi stood between them again, "not at my house, Joey... just in Domino."

Marik silently thanked Yugi for not saying where. This one was clearly not ready to trust him yet.

"In Dom... you knew about this, and you didn't tell us?"

"Joey, please..." Yugi strained. He let Yami take over, "that's enough."

Joey stood down, "I don't like it. I can't leave you alone with..."

"It's fine, Joey," Yami mothered, "he was here yesterday, too."

"Yesterday?" Joey fired again, but Yami pacified him.

"I'm sorry, Joey, I should have told you," he smirked, "but I knew you'd react this way."

Joey blushed in shame. "You're right, Yuge. I'm sorry. I know this guy isn't like he was last time we met, but..."

"It's alright," Yami said factually. "If anything happens, you'll know I was wrong, and _then_ you can act irrationally."

Joey smiled, sensing the fade back into his best friend's voice. "Thanks, Yuge. You know how to fix any problem."

"Not every problem, Joey," Yugi grinned, "and that's why I've got you."

Joey nodded, "alright, see you around."

"Walk home safe," Yugi called as Joey took off. He turned to Marik, ready to switch with Yami if necessary.

Halfway through his story, Marik began to wonder why he thought telling Yugi would fix anything, but he didn't let that get to him. When he finished explaining what happened the previous night, Yugi (who had switched to Yami after all) questioned whether he'd heard from 'Yami' Bakura since. Marik noticed a certain longing in his own voice when he answered in the negative, and proceeded to mention his day with Ryou.

"You were with Ryou all day, and Bakura didn't show up?"

"Not once," Marik confirmed. He then grinned, "though, we were shopping for vegetarian meals. Not his forte."

Yami made a disgusted smile. "You speak the truth... but why didn't you go home? Why come here?"

"Because," Marik suddenly felt very effeminate, "because the anger he showed at your scent was the first time I felt emotion from him."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "He hadn't shown any signs of liking you before?"

Marik blushed and thought of the soup. "No."

Yami grinned, "liar."

Marik tensed. The effect of that word was nowhere near as intense as it had been coming from Bakura, but it still stung. "I'm not lying... he hasn't... he only worries about me when it interferes with his life!"

"Is that so?" Yami leaned back, supporting himself on his arms. He looked to the sky through their sunroof, though sunlight was fading. Colder weather was coming, and the days were growing shorter. He smirked. "You know something?"

Marik looked up expectantly, "what?"

"You won't be able to drive your bike in the snow."


	5. Someone Special

_**author's warning** male/male relations happen within. don't like? don't read. kthx._

-

Marik thought hard on his ride home. He'd tried arguing with the Pharaoh that public transit would be an option, or that he could find a job and an apartment close enough together to walk, but Yami simply brushed off his attempts. When it came down to it, staying where he lived now was looking more and more like the best thing for him.

But, what that really what Bakura wanted?

Marik braced himself as he entered his place of residence, not knowing which 'Bakura' to expect. For the first time, neither of them showed. Marik headed for the kitchen, figuring Ryou would be cooking something, but it was deserted. He checked the living room which was also empty, then started toward the staircase which led to the second floor. Just before he ascended, the back door opened and he heard Ryou humming. Marik smiled and returned to the kitchen to see the boy bringing in a potted plant.

"What're you up to?"

Ryou was startled, but only mildly. "Oh, welcome home, Marik. I was just tending to my garden, you see... Autumn may have just begun, but that means winter is on its way and most of the flowers won't make it."

Marik nodded, knowing nothing about horticulture but feeling obligated to show interest. "You can't bring them all indoors though, can you?"

Ryou shook his head, smiling meekly. "No, only certain flowers can survive in indoor conditions. I'm saving the ones that can."

Bored with the conversation, Marik had to fight the sudden urge to sneak up and hug Ryou from behind. Aside from the surely amusing reaction he'd get, he found that he _wanted_ to provoke Bakura. After all, he had a big choice to make, and knowing how the spirit felt about him could make or break his decision.

"Have you ever been to Egypt, Ryou?" he asked randomly, taking a seat in the nearest chair. Ryou looked up.

"No," he said after a bit of thought, "can't say that I have. My father..."

"I'd like to go back someday," Marik spoke thoughtfully, unaware that he was interrupting. "With someone."

"With someone?" Ryou repeated with a blink. "What do you mean by that, Marik?"

Marik smirked, "like, on a date..." he lowered his eyes, "a really special date."

Ryou sat in a nearby chair with interest. "Why Egypt, then? Don't you already know enough about it?"

"Exactly!" Marik put more effort into his words than was necessary, "I could easily impress my date with my knowledge and, as a tomb-keeper, I could take them to places that are normally off-limits."

He saw the flash he'd been watching for, but Bakura wasn't out yet... just listening. Ryou seemed unaware. "Off-limits? You mean inside the tombs, don't you?"

Marik grinned in a way more sinister than he'd meant to. "Yes, though it would have to be someone I really trusted... I would be betraying my duty to protect the artifacts within."

"That sounds fascinating," Ryou's voice was echoed by one not his own. Marik leaned toward the boy.

"Did you know your ancestry traces back to Ancient Egypt, Ryou?"

Ryou blushed, "well, yes... but my family was always very secretive about it. They seemed ashamed really."

Bakura, no doubt, laughed at this. Marik only smirked, "they would, wouldn't they? After all, not everyone wants to admit their dated roots tie them to a well-known Tomb Robber."

"Tomb Robber?" Ryou's eyes flashed with concern, though there was a hidden anger in them as well.

"Yes," Marik continued, "as a matter of fact..."

"That's enough, Marik," a harsh voice demanded. "Why are you telling my hikari all this?"

Before he could falter, Marik took the offensive, "to lure you out."

Bakura bore his teeth sharply then sat back in his chair. "Well, it worked."

Marik stood up and approached the other, walking behind him and resting his hands on his shoulders. Bakura jumped up, shoving Marik back with the chair as he pushed it from beneath himself. He growled, "what are you doing?"

Marik took a step toward Bakura again, though his damaged confidence was evident. "I need answers from you, Bakura, but they're not answers I'm going to get by asking questions."

Bakura began to step back, caught himself, and stood his ground out. "How do you plan to get them, then?"

"Like this..." Marik moved swiftly so that he caught Bakura off-guard and pushed the spirit up against the wall. At this point, he knew he was not strong enough to keep him there so it was all up to timing and the spirit's reactions. After a moment's hesitation and no sign of immediate rejection, Marik pushed his smaller frame against the white-haired boy's body and felt the moist heat from before returning to his mouth. His head flushed with warm dizziness but he managed to keep his focus long enough to study Bakura's reactions. At first glance he seemed unfazed, but Marik sensed something more; a hint of amusement at the least. Bakura was thousands of years old, after all, and was most likely far more sexually mature. Marik summoned his abdominal strength and pressed his hips against Bakura's, grinding their lower bodies together. Bakura smirked now and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist, holding him close. Marik moaned softly and draped his arms over Bakura's shoulders, lifting himself up and narrowing the space between their lips.

"What is it you want to learn from this, Marik?" Bakura tilted his head and leaned forward, studying the boy through half-lidded eyes.

Marik hesitated, trying on responses in his head and ultimately breathing softly, "where I belong."

Bakura smirked, but there was gentleness about him that Marik never would've thought he'd see. He expected their kiss to be passionate, animalistic... anything but gentle as it was. Bakura's lips were surprisingly soft, though Marik felt himself being held more possessively. He sighed inwardly and slid one hand up the back of the paler boy's slender neck, into his soft white hair where it rested on the back of his head, hoping to make their kiss last. Bakura's lips twitched and parted slightly, in response to which Marik's did the same, and the spirit seemed quite pleased by the warmth that was now entering his mouth. He slid his tongue expertly past its normal boundaries and into what would soon become its second home. Marik couldn't help but moan, though it wouldn't have mattered if he could; his bodily reactions were anything but subtle.

Bakura seemed surprised when Marik deepened their kiss, and then amused by the cautious way the boy's tongue explored his mouth. He pushed against Marik then, startling the younger male though not yet breaking their kiss. When they parted at last, Bakura scooped Marik up and carried him to the living room.

"What are you doing?" Marik asked cautiously. Bakura smirked.

"You don't expect to get your answer from just one kiss, do you?"

Marik shook his head and clung to Bakura's neck when the latter approached the couch. Bakura was quickly growing annoyed so Marik rested his head on his chest to try and soften his mood.

"Not here," he said softly then looked into the other's eyes. "Take me to a bed."

Bakura seemed to hesitate. "You're willing to go that far?"

Marik nodded, "I want to keep living here, but I have to be sure it's where I belong."

Bakura carried him effortlessly up the stairs. "You've never done this before, am I right?"

Marik blushed as they passed his bedroom. Not wanting to say it, he just shook his head. Bakura smirked. He entered his own room and placed the boy down on the bed. "Are you sure you want to give yourself to me?"

"You're being too considerate," Marik's voice was hushed, but lingered with desperation. He kept his fingers locked behind Bakura's neck and pulled him into a kiss. "Do I have to say it?"

Bakura's breath was heavy now and he loomed over the other, finding it hard to maintain control. "Yes. Once this starts, there's no turning back."

Marik tried to be seductive to emphasize his words, "I want to belong to you."

No sooner than the words left him were his lips claimed again. This time, the kiss was closer to what he had first expected; his unskilled tongue was no match for the passionate battle Bakura seemed to seek. Mildly dissatisfied, the spirit moved on to the skin at the base of Marik's neck and latched on, causing the boy to cry out. Noticeably more excited now, Bakura laid atop his newfound prey and grinded against him. This made the boy gasp and moan out his partner's name, and he felt the teeth on his neck form into a grin. Once he'd managed to leave a mark (despite the boy's darker skin), he moved quickly to strip them both of their tops. Marik winced when his earrings were tugged by Bakura's impatience, but kept his mouth shut for fear of ruining the mood. Bakura suddenly took interest in the golden spears and leaned in to lick Marik's outer ear. Again the boy cried out, blushing this time and trying to hide it. Bakura laughed and considered teasing him more, but personally he was ready to continue.

He planted a trail of kisses from Marik's collarbone down to his hip, working with one hand to undo the boy's pants. His other hand rested on Marik's waist almost affectionately. When he felt his pants being tugged off, Marik quickly sat up and shifted to his hands and knees. He knew he'd be the submissive one in the relationship, but he wouldn't stand for being the first to reveal everything. He undid Bakura's jeans with relative ease and looked up at him while slipping the pants down. The two kept their eyes on one another as Bakura shifted and removed his jeans, tossing them aside before kneeling again.

He ran a finger up Marik's spine, feeling every raise in his skin from the intricate mark, then snaked his hand into Marik's hair and smirked. "Go ahead."

Marik blushed and trailed his eyes down the pale body before him. He slid his hands up smooth (though strangely muscular) thighs until they reached angled hips which he gripped tightly with one hand while taking Bakura's cock in the other. After one last moment of hesitation, he took it in his mouth. Bakura moaned softly and tangled his fingers in dusty blonde locks. Marik proved to be quite good at giving head for his first try, and felt himself grow harder with excitement. He whined as his unattended member throbbed painfully, but the vibrations of his tongue only served to please Bakura more. Marik took his own hand - wet with saliva from stroking Bakura's cock when he gasped for air - and gripped himself firmly. The sensation was more than he'd expected; he moaned aloud and began stroking himself while he sucked Bakura off.

Just as Marik felt ready to climax, Bakura gripped his hair and pulled his head back. He whined for multiple reasons, but his hot, wet mouth was intruded by Bakura's tongue again. This time, though his jaw was tired, his tongue was stronger and he managed to participate in the war. Bakura seemed pleased by this and shoved Marik onto his back. He reached into his bedside table and removed a seemingly new lubricant tube. He screwed the cap off and tossed it back into the drawer, then coated his fingers generously and slipped them below Marik's ass. At first, he simply spread the cool liquid around the opening, enjoying the squirrely way his pet twitched and shook. As he prepared to slide his middle finger in, he kissed Marik delicately on the lips.

"Ready?"

Marik focused all his attention on the faint tickle of Bakura's fingertip. He blushed and nodded faintly, then his eyes grew wide as he was intruded. He closed them tightly, gritting his teeth as Bakura slid his finger deeper and a faint 'aah' escaped him when it was over... but it wasn't over. Bakura rocked his hand gently, seeing that Marik adjusted well to the first step, then prepared him for the second. Getting two fingers in proved to be more of a challenge and it didn't help that Marik tensed up before they were even in. Bakura expressed (patiently as he could) the importance of staying relaxed, but Marik could only whimper in response. He thought about asking the spirit if he'd ever been dominated, but decided he didn't want to know. He sighed and relaxed, focusing on his lower muscles. Bakura added more lubricant to his fingers and was able to get in this time, but Marik did not take so well to the second intrusion. He cried out - more in discomfort than pain - and wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck. Bakura hushed him and pushed him back down, encouraging the boy to lay flat instead of arching his back either way.

"It puts less strain on your pelvis when you're relaxed," he explained and, though Marik didn't like it, he obeyed. Bakura slid his fingers deeper, partially ignoring Marik's whining so that he was not discouraged, and turned his hand when he got as deep as he could go. The rotation hurt less inside than it did at the base, and Marik actually moaned softly when Bakura spread his fingers to widen the boy inside. "Do you forget your pain when you feel that?"

Marik nodded meekly. "Almost. I'm not ready for you yet though, am I?"

Bakura shook his head. "It won't take this long every time. You just need to be broken in."

Marik's eyes grew wide again, then he bit his lip and gently stroked his cock as the feeling of something inside of him started to turn him on. Bakura smirked, leaned over and took Marik's cock into his mouth. Marik gasped as the spirit began sucking him off while he continued to finger him. Marik felt that dizzying heat behind his eyes again and subconsciously rocked his hips against Bakura's hand. In his pleasure-induced mindlessness, he whispered profane words that demanded his partner to take him. Happy to oblige, Bakura removed himself from the boy long enough to cover his cock in a thick coat of lubricant and then lifted the boy by his hips and positioned himself at his entrance.

Having regained full awareness, Marik held his breath and concentrated on keeping his body relaxed, though his heart felt like it'd moved into his throat. Just like before Bakura leaned over and kissed him, though this time he began to penetrate before the kiss ended. Marik's voice caught in his throat and he lay back, panting softly but showing no sign of wanting to stop. Bakura continued slowly, exhibiting great self-control as he wanted nothing more than to thrust mercilessly into him. Marik moaned softly, wrapped his legs around Bakura's waist and shifted forward slightly. He gasped as his own movement caused Bakura to go deeper, but the faint smile he wore gave the spirit the answer he needed. Once in at his full length, he allowed Marik to shift his body beneath him as he adjusted to the intrusion. His cheeks were tinted red, and that color brightened as Bakura began to move again. He pulled back, a little faster than he'd gone in, then moved forward at a similar pace. Marik began to pant as Bakura picked up speed, with small moans escaping his throat every now and again.

When Marik went from adjusting to actually enjoying himself, Bakura didn't know for sure, but he assumed it was around the time that the boy reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck. Bakura accepted his partner's kiss and gripped the boy's waist as he was now all but clinging to him. Marik lay back and began stroking himself, relatively keeping pace. His breath was heavier now, but he seemed happier. Once or twice, the spirit's name escaped his lips, and that reminder of dominance was more than enough to please him.

Suddenly, Marik started to squirm. Between breaths he said, "Bakura... I'm close..."

"You'd better not," Bakura smirked. Marik only whined in response. The spirit picked up his pace, surprising his partner into letting go of himself, gripping the sheets beneath them and crying out. Bakura bit his lip; not having felt this way in quite some time, he'd forgotten how pleasurable it was. After a few slow, hard thrusts, he moaned aloud as he climaxed.

Marik lay beneath him, blushing and confused, but before he could ask questions Bakura chose to act (while he was still in a good mood). He slid himself out, earning another whimper from the boy, then quickly went down on him. Marik gasped; he didn't feel as close as before, but he was still relatively excited. He closed his eyes and focused on Bakura's soft, wet mouth encasing his cock, and felt that need to release flowing over him all too quickly. He placed a hand in Bakura's hair - gently though, so the spirit would not feel his dominance was begin threatened - and whispered his name. Bakura used his tongue skillfully, bringing Marik to the edge faster than his pride would have liked. "Bakura... move... I'm going to..."

Instead of listening, the white-haired boy deep-throated him and Marik couldn't hold back. He, too, moaned aloud as he came, and blushed furiously as he watched his partner swallow every drop. He whined softly when Bakura massaged his shaft to ascertain he'd got it all, and looked away when he sat up and wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist.

"You taste good," the comment made Marik blush even harder. He didn't need to look to know Bakura was smirking as he added, "for a vegetarian."

Marik expected Bakura to get up, walk out, or even kick him out of his room, but he didn't. Instead, he crawled over, pulled the sheets from underneath them, then covered Marik up and sat beside him. There was a silence between them that - to Marik - felt like forever, but Bakura didn't seem to mind. Finally, Marik turned on his side and looked up at his partner.

"Why did you..." was all he said before blushing again and diverting his gaze. "Finish inside of me?"

Bakura glanced at him curiously. He seemed to have been resting even though he was sitting up. He suddenly turned and looked through his bedside table drawer with great interest. Marik sighed inwardly and waited. Bakura was unable to find what he wanted and grew irritated. He looked back to the boy and said plainly, "I didn't want a mess."

Marik was angered by his answer. "That doesn't seem like a good enough reason to just... _do that_ to somebody!"

Bakura shrugged. "Why do you care? You belong to me, now."

Marik clenched his teeth. That _was_ what he wanted but... "I didn't like it."

Bakura seemed to soften, if only a bit. "Why not?"

Marik squirmed under the covers. "It's weird... and uncomfortable."

Bakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Wasn't it all?"

Marik blushed, "well, at first, yeah... but once I got used to having you there, I liked it."

Bakura smirked. "Maybe you just have to get used to _that_ too, then."

Marik shook his head, determined. "No, Bakura... I don't like it..." he blushed, "please... don't do it again."

Bakura laughed and tousled Marik's hair. "Fine, then... I hope you like bathing a lot."

Marik wrinkled his nose, but it was a compromise he was willing to make.


	6. Levels of caring

Marik slept in Bakura's room that night, but when he awoke he couldn't tell which of the body's two inhabitants he was sleeping next to. He decided to lean over and plant a small kiss on the boy's cheek, figuring it couldn't hurt either way. The body stirred and the small voice that came from it sounded like Ryou's. Marik sighed and began to look for his clothes.

Once he was dressed, he went downstairs and put the tea kettle on, then browsed the fridge for breakfast ideas. He decided to make an omelet, and when it was done he sat at the kitchen table alone. He sipped his tea and ate his breakfast contently until he was suddenly hugged from behind.

"Good morning, partner."

He sighed happily; Bakura's breath was warm against his face. He turned and gave his love a quick kiss, then went back to eating while Bakura went to make himself something.

"I didn't expect to see you so early," Marik admitted. Bakura shrugged, but he couldn't see it.

"Ryou was sleeping too late. I don't think he was around last night, but our body isn't used to that kind of strain."

Marik blushed. "Does he know what happened?"

"He might have a clue," Bakura said casually. "How are _you_ feeling?"

_Happy_, Marik thought, but he had a feeling Bakura might make fun of him for saying that. Instead he said, "fine."

"_Fine?_" Bakura put down whatever he was holding and walked over to his partner. He slammed his hand down on the table, startling the boy. "Are you insulting me?"

Marik thought Bakura might be hiding a smile, but he wasn't sure. "N-no, I wasn't..."

Bakura glanced away and scoffed. When he looked back, Marik still couldn't read him. "Shouldn't you be happy?"

Marik grit his teeth. "I _am_ happy! I'm very happy, actually."

Bakura cast a sideways glance at him. "Then why didn't you say so?"

Marik blushed and looked away. "I didn't think you'd care..."

Bakura sighed, grabbed Marik's wrists and pulled him to his feet. He hugged the boy with more affection than he seemed capable of, then gave him a quick kiss. Marik blushed more which caused Bakura to smirk, and then kiss him more passionately. Marik let out a small gasp, but eagerly accepted what his love had offered. After a minute or two, when they parted, Bakura gently brushed a lock of Marik's hair behind his ear.

"Listen closely, Marik," he leaned in and kissed the boy's neck, making him whine softly. "You're mine, now."

Marik cried out as Bakura bit down on his shoulder, but pain turned to pleasure as the spirit gently sucked on the spot. He tried to arch his lower body away to hide his slowly growing excitement, but Bakura wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled their bodies together. Marik panted softly as Bakura rocked his hips against him, seeming to enjoy taunting the boy. All the while, the spot on his shoulder was growing sore and hot.

"Ba...Bakura," Marik gasped, arching his body into the grind, now. "F...fuck..."

Bakura twitched and left his partner's shoulder. Once more, marking tanned skin proved to be a challenge, but he considered it a job well done. The one on his neck from before had already begun to blend with his skin, but they were still obvious enough. He kissed Marik briefly then walked away, leaving the latter unsatisfied and very confused.

"Consider that punishment," Bakura said with a smirk. "Don't ever think that I don't care about you again."

Marik was calming down, but his body took a little longer to react. Quietly, he mumbled, "lesson learned."

After breakfast, Ryou woke up so Bakura took a nap and let his host take over for a while. Marik wasn't happy about this but he knew he'd have to deal with it as long as the one he loved was sharing a body. Ryou didn't seem to know about what had happened, but he did show concern for the 'bruises' on Marik's shoulder. Marik brushed it off and told Ryou the 'good news' that he had decided to continue living with them. This excited the white-haired boy very much, and he decided they should celebrate by going out to see a movie.

Marik smirked. "You just want another excuse to ride on my motorcycle, don't you?"

Ryou blushed, smiling guiltily. "Well, maybe... but I really am happy that you chose to stay here."

Marik shrugged, "I weighed the odds and it was glaringly obvious that I'd be safer and happier here."

Ryou rolled his eyes, "it was obvious from the start, wasn't it?"

Marik shook his head, "not to me. I'm stubborn, Ryou. I came back to Domino determined to make it on my own."

Ryou smiled. "You're better off here," he grinned, "now how about that movie?"

Marik parked his motorcycle carefully and held Ryou's hand as the white-haired boy got off. They removed their helmets and shook their heads, both using a hand to fluff their unique haircuts. Marik grinned while Ryou just smiled sheepishly, and they headed into the theatre. They read the board above the ticketers to see what was 'Now Playing' and Ryou suddenly grabbed Marik's arm.

"What is it?" Marik asked. Ryou pointed to the list.

"That movie... the second one, Bakura really wants to see it."

Marik read the title 'Battle Royale'. He raised an eyebrow. "What's it about?"

Ryou shuddered, "a bunch of schoolchildren that get put on an island and assigned to kill each other."

Marik's eyes widened. "Really? Why would they do that?"

Ryou shook his head, "I'm not sure... but, I don't want to see it."

Marik sighed. He liked the idea of going on a date with his lover, but he had come for Ryou's sake. He decided to tease the boy, "well, what would you rather watch, then? _Cardcaptor Sakura?_"

Ryou blushed and looked at the names again. Nearly everything that was playing fell under the horror category. Then again, what else could he expect Marik to like? He sighed. "Tell you what... I'll let Bakura out to watch that gory movie with you, but you have to snuggle up on the couch with me tonight and watch something at home."

Marik blushed, but Ryou's smile was too innocent to suggest that he had any hidden motives. Slowly, then tan boy nodded. "Alright, it's a deal."

Ryou hugged Marik, appearing to be over their earlier 'incident'. Bakura took over before the hug ended, and gave his partner a little squeeze.

"Hikari says you've got a surprise for me?"

Marik blushed again. "Well, not yet... but I am just about to buy two tickets to see Battle Royale. Interested?"

Bakura grinned. "My host told you what that movie's about, didn't he?"

Marik nodded, "it sounds very gruesome."

Bakura headed to the ticket counter. "Let's hope so."

They bought their tickets, followed by snacks. Bakura bought himself popcorn and soda, while Marik opted for a slushie and a box of candy. As they headed into the appropriate room, Marik commented on not having expected Bakura to be so conventional. Bakura responded that he'd usually spike his drink, but he didn't know he would be showing up.

They took their seats up front, as Bakura had requested. Marik would have been more comfortable further back, but his lover argued that they 'would not get the full effect of all the simulated violence'. They'd settled in just before previews began, so their attention was immediately on the screen before them. Marik's concentration was torn by the thought that this was technically their first date and he scratched at his candy box absently. Trailers were shown for Ringu 0, another Godzilla movie, and a few new anime. Bakura showed mild interest in a preview for a borderline adult movie which Marik hadn't caught the name of, but he was sure to express his distaste when his partner smirked at him. The white-haired boy leaned over, kissed his love's warm cheek and whispered, "don't worry, Marik, you're the only girl for me."

Marik snapped back, blushing and angry. "That's not..."

His quip was cut off as his lips were claimed and he closed his eyes tight. He didn't want Bakura to win, but he knew that pulling away now would only serve to annoy him. He relaxed into the kiss, but made sure to look at his partner in a way that expressed he was still upset. Bakura sighed and sat back in his chair as the lights began to dim. Marik dug his nails into the armrest, trying to ignore the tension he felt. It was a stupid thing to be upset about, he knew that, but it didn't change the fact that he still was.

He felt a cool hand placed over his, then, and the slender fingers curved over his own and gave a gentle squeeze. Marik looked at his love, who barely offered him a glance, but he smiled anyway. He doubted he'd ever get an apology out of the spirit, but that one action was enough to remind him that his feelings had been considered. He turned his hand onto its side and laced their fingers together, then leaned over and gave his love a small kiss just as the movie began.


	7. It's not a date

Bakura enjoyed the film very much, and was in a great mood when it let out. Marik wasn't as amused by it as his partner, but he was content to see the other happy.

"Next time," Bakura said playfully, snatching Marik's hand and lacing their fingers as they walked. "Maybe we should sit in the back."

Marik tilted his head, but smiled. "Why is that, Bakura?"

Bakura grinned and yanked his lover into a hug then whispered in his ear, "violence turns me on."

Marik blushed, but couldn't say anything to the cynical grin Bakura was wearing. He wasn't sure if the older boy had ever been in spirits this high, and he certainly wasn't going to ruin it.

When they walked outside, Marik shielded his eyes from the sun and tried to remember where he'd parked. Bakura was looking around the lot as though he'd never seen it before, so Marik clung to his arm for attention. "What would you like to do, now?"

Bakura put his free hand on his stomach. "Get something to eat, maybe? Junk food doesn't sit well with me."

Marik considered the half-filled box of chocolates in his pocket. He'd had a large breakfast so he hadn't been very hungry, but it would be wise to get another meal in soon. "Alright, is there any place in town you prefer?"

"What about that burger joint Yugi and his friends always go to?" Bakura suggested. Marik considered it, wondering if there were any meatless options on the menu. Still, he couldn't expect a nice dinner date the same day as a movie date, so he would do what his partner wanted.

Bakura put up a fight when Marik would not let him drive the motorcycle and, though he ultimately stood down, he did not take well to being a passenger. He held Marik tight and ran his fingers along the boy's exposed sides, making it very hard to concentrate. When Marik ignored him, he loosened his grip until he was barely holding on. Marik responded by turning onto a back-road where the speed limit was lessened. Bakura admired his partner's ability to stay focused in the face of his distractions, but he continued to tease the boy in any way he could without endangering their safety.

As soon as they were no longer wearing their helmets, Marik reached up and pinched Bakura's ear.

"What did you think you were doing?" the tanned boy scolded. "You could have caused me to lose control."

Bakura growled and pushed Marik away, pinning him to the wall of the fast food place with just one hand. "Don't you _dare_try to take dominance over me," he warned, then smirked and ran two fingers along his partner's jawline. "If I wanted you to lose control, I could have made you."

Marik growled in response, momentarily regretting having left his Rod with Yugi. Then again, if he did try to control Bakura it would inevitably end badly for him, so he was forced to accept defeat.

They walked into the building and looked for a place to sit. Marik suddenly spotted Yugi and his friends sitting in a booth to the right, talking to Tea who apparently worked there. He grabbed Bakura's arm and took a left, choosing the booth in the far corner. Bakura's patience was growing thin.

"They'll never come to serve us over here," he pulled his arm free and began to walk away.

"Don't!" Marik said quickly. "They'll see you!"

Bakura raised an eyebrow and looked over to the other side. "So?"

Marik blushed. "Well, they don't know I'm..."

"Catching up with an old friend," Bakura finished casually. "Now come, before I change my mind."

Marik sighed and reluctantly followed Bakura to the other side. They took the booth nearest the door, two down from where Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were seated. Marik tried to hide himself, but he'd already been spotted. Yugi directed Tea's attention to the 'new customers', but she was hesitant.

"What are _they_doing here?" she asked. Yugi shrugged.

"Marik came back to Domino recently, and I guess Bakura's the only one who trusts him."

"Can't say that's surprising," Tristan commented. Joey kept quiet about their brief run-in.

"Yeah," the blonde agreed lazily, "but they're payin' customers now, so you'd betta get a move on, Tea!"

Tea blushed and pushed Joey's head down to the table. "That's more than I can say for you!"

"Ouch," Tristan chuckled, "that was kind of mean."

Tea stormed off, not ready to apologize any time soon. As Yugi nursed Joey's bruised ego, the young waitress regained her composure and approached her new customers.

"Welcome to Burger Palace," she handed them each a menu then readied her pencil and notepad. "Would you like to start with a drink?"

"Do you have anything alcoholic?" Bakura had discarded the menu as quickly as it'd been given.

"Um, no," Tea stuttered, "this isn't really a restaurant, so we..."

"Tea, then," he leaned back in the booth, "and you can take my meal order now, too."

"But you haven't looked at our..." Tea reached for the menu but was stopped fast by Bakura's devilish smirk.

"Just get me the bloodiest thing you've got."

Tea paled, and Marik was heard gagging behind the cover of his menu. Tea stood firm, "I can't... we don't serve anything like that here..."

Bakura slammed his hand down on the table causing both his date and their waitress to jump. "Well then, what _do_ you bloody have? You must serve _something_edible at this Ra-forsaken joint, or else people wouldn't bloody come here!"

Marik lowered the laminated booklet enough to reveal his blush and to cast an apologetic glance at Tea. "The tea is fine for now, I think we'll need more time for everything else."

Tea nodded slowly, "will you be having tea as well?"

Marik shook his head, "no, I don't know what I want yet."

"That's fine," she slipped her pencil behind her ear, "let me know when you do."

She quickly walked away, leaving the boys to glare at each other.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Bakura spat. "She doesn't deserve to be treated as our equal!"

"Last I checked," Marik seethed, "I'm not your equal, either."

Bakura scoffed, "I've given you more than anyone else in my life."

"If that were true," Marik retorted, "you wouldn't have a descendant to possess."

"That's where you're wrong, Marik," Bakura grit his teeth. "The levels of patience and affection you've witnessed in the past two days are greater than any I've shown before... in nearly my entire existence."

Marik softened a bit, as he really sort of believed that. "That doesn't mean you have to show more anger and brutality to counterbalance it," he said patiently, and reached across the table to touch Bakura's hand. The spirit twitched, but decided to allow the contact. Marik continued, "I don't want to live in fear of being out in public."

Bakura scowled. "What good is the public? You know your history well, right? When did things go from the way they were to the way they are?"

Marik squeezed his love's hand gently. "I don't know, Bakura... but at least, in this life, you aren't alone anymore."

Bakura flashed a look at the smaller boy and smirked. "I was never alone. I've had Ryou from the start."

Marik blushed, looking genuinely hurt. When he pulled his hand away and sat back, Bakura sighed. The spirit leaned over the table and gently grasped the loose chains on his partner's shirt. Marik looked up, confused, and blushed harder in response to the seductive grin he was being offered.

Bakura whispered, "don't make me kiss you here, where everyone can see."

Marik's lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. Bakura licked his own lips and had to sit back to fight new temptations. Marik deserved to be humiliated, he thought, but he was too sensitive. It would hurt his feelings for longer than Bakura felt like dealing with... and these tables probably weren't all that clean anyway.

When Tea returned with the tea, Marik had his nose in the menu again. Bakura, however, still hadn't touched it. She placed the cup in front of him quietly. Bakura turned his nose up at it.

"Why does it _smell_like that?" he sneered. Tea clenched her fists.

"We only serve Japanese-style tea, unless requested otherwise."

"Well, how am I supposed to know that if nobody told me?"

"By reading our menu," Tea smirked. Bakura lifted his hand with intent of knocking the cup off the table, but Marik was quick to respond. He grabbed Bakura's wrist and held it back, sending a warning glare across the table.

"I'll drink it," he said slowly, grasping the glass coaster beneath the cup and dragging it across the table. Bakura was not amused. He glanced at Tea.

"Can I presume you serve English tea?"

"I believe we do," Tea replied. "Have you decided what you'd like to eat?"

"I have," Marik said politely. "But, I don't think he's going to, so could you just bring out something he'd like?"

Tea pursed her lips. "I don't really know him that well, Marik. He doesn't hang out with us."

Bakura scoffed, but Marik spoke before he could, "just bring..." he looked over the menu and paled at a 'meat lovers' option. He held the menu toward her and pointed to it. "_That._"

She looked at him curiously, but wrote it down. "You didn't say what it was that you wanted."

"The bean and vegetable burger, please," he handed the menu back to her. It all seemed too formal for fast-food restaurant, but he wasn't going to question the customs of his new home town.

"Ah," she seemed light-hearted now. "You're a vegetarian?"

Marik wasn't sure why she cared, but he didn't plan on being rude now. "It's how I was raised."

She nodded in an understanding manner and headed behind the counter again. Yugi and his friends were on their way out, and they caught her in mid-run to say their goodbyes. She planted a hand on her hip and pointed to the clock, but Marik couldn't hear what they were saying. He half expected Yugi to come over and talk to them, but he left without so much as a glance.

_**a/n** sorry for a long, boring chapter. it's supposed to set up character relations and give an idea of how i've interpreted their personalities, as the fic will often pull them out of character._


	8. Secret feelings

By the time they returned home, Bakura was very tired. It was the most time he'd spent in control of the vessel in a while and, if it weren't for Marik's sake, he would have relinquished control to Ryou shortly after the movie had ended. Despite his outbursts, however, the afternoon seemed to please his lover... though he was met with a dreaded comment about 'going out more' and 'adjusting to society' upon leaving Burger Palace. For a moment he wished he'd never given in to the younger boy's affection, but the gentle kiss which followed reminded him that their relationship was anything but one-sided.

As soon as they reached the living room, Bakura headed for the couch. Marik quickly followed and leaned over his partner as he lay down. They exchanged a deep yet gentle kiss which left the tanned boy blushing. He wanted to say 'thank you' for their date, but he knew better. Trivial things like that meant nothing to the spirit; he would not have stayed out unless he wanted to, and Marik knew (or at least hoped) that he had done it for him.

Instead, he brushed a stray white lock from brown eyes and stole one more kiss from strangely soft lips.

"Goodnight."

Bakura smirked. He thought about setting up an awkward situation for Ryou's return, but he really didn't want to deal with any rebuttal later. Instead, he turned onto his side and went to sleep. Marik sat on the empty spot of couch behind his partner's legs and rested a hand on his thigh. He watched for the signs that Ryou was waking up, and offered a welcoming smile when the boy opened his eyes.

"Sleep well?" he asked, not really caring but acting as though he did. Ryou nodded.

"I feel strange, though," he said as he sat up. "Normally I'm very hungry when Bakura is out for a long time."

"We had lunch not long ago," Marik explained. Ryou seemed surprised.

"He doesn't usually eat, does he? How'd you get him to do that?"

Marik looked away so Ryou wouldn't see him bite his lip. "The movie must have made him hungry."

Ryou wrinkled his nose and laughed nervously. "He _would_ find himself wanting a meal after something like that."

Marik didn't bother to tell Ryou it wasn't all that bad. Some people just had weak stomachs, he supposed.

They ended up watching movies all night. Marik found the first one very boring, but Ryou insisted it was one of his favourites. Of course, the tan boy had no way of knowing why. When it was over, Ryou asked Marik to choose the next movie. He browsed the collection and picked one that made the pale boy uneasy. Apparently, it was one of Bakura's movies, and included some graphic imagery. Marik smirked and joked that he would help Ryou shield his eyes. He started to put the movie away, but Ryou seemed to take his comment seriously and insisted that they could watch it. After a moment of prying, they were back on the couch, sitting closer to one another than before, and the movie started.

Marik gave Ryou credit for his uneasiness that time; the movie turned out to have some very gory scenes. He couldn't help but smile at the way the boy leaned against him, trying to hide his eyes and cover his ears at the same time. When he was being cuddled because of fear, he thought nothing of it. However, once the movie was over, Ryou was quick to request that another movie be put in. When Marik began to protest, he argued that he wouldn't be able to sleep well after watching that one. With a sigh, the tanned boy gave in. Ryou seemed very pleased, and even knew which movie he wanted to put in. He told Marik it was about samurai, but not of its underlying themes. When the white-haired boy came back to the couch and resumed cuddling with his friend, Marik told himself it was just because the previous film was still having an effect on him. However, shortly after the new movie began, Ryou propped his legs up on the couch, nuzzled Marik comfortably, and covered up with the blanket that was normally draped over the back of the couch. Marik eyed him curiously, but made no effort to move.

It soon became clear that the film included homosexual themes, and it was around the time Marik realized this that he began to question Ryou's motives. Did he suspect that his new housemate was gay? Did he know about his relationship with Bakura? Was he trying to send a message? Get a reaction?

Ryou looked up, his soft hair brushing the bare skin on Marik's arm between his golden bands. When his gaze was met, he smiled and softly invited his housemate to get comfortable. Surprised by this comment, Marik thought quickly and told Ryou he would fall asleep if he got too relaxed. It wasn't a lie; he had never watched this many movies in one day and was beginning to feel tired. Earlier, he wouldn't have thought twice about falling asleep, but he was weary of Ryou now and wanted to observe his actions. The pale boy nuzzled his head to Marik's chest and whispered something incoherent. When questioned, he just shook his head and quietly returned his attention to the movie.

Some short amount of time passed, during which a pattern of thought went through Ryou's head that Marik would not have assumed characteristic of him. The boy either became confident, curious, or simply assumed his housemate had let his guard down. Earlier, he had moved his hand to rest on Marik's outer thigh; now, it began to creep inward – its touch was light, but Marik could feel it ever-so-slightly tremble. Its owner must have sensed his awareness, as it stopped mid-way to its apparent destination. Had it not been for that tremble, Marik might have given Ryou benefit of the doubt – after all, nobody could stay perfectly still for too long. Still, despite himself, he pretended to ignore the movement. Ryou was still for another ten minutes or so; the movie seemed to be nearing its end, but Marik couldn't be sure as he was barely giving it half his attention. Ryou shifted upwards, rested his head on Marik's shoulder and paused to contemplate the strange texture of permanently tanned skin. When he looked up, it was with an expression that Marik had not seen before, but immediately recognized. Before he could protest, Ryou moved with inhuman speed and closed the gap between them. At the same time, he had somehow managed to roll his body off the couch and all but climb into Marik's lap. Eagar as it had been, there was a cute innocence to the kiss, and the hands that were now gripping his shoulders were trembling again. Initially stunned by the swift movement, Marik hadn't noticed he'd moved his own hands to his predator's waist. He broke away from the kiss and placed a hand gently on Ryou's chest to keep him at a distance. They looked at each other, both confused. Ryou's eyes trailed downwards as the rejection sank in, but something caught his gaze before Marik could find his voice. He was staring at two bruises which had, until moments ago, been hidden by carefully laid locks of blonde hair. He looked back into lavender eyes and offered a peculiar smile. Marik absently covered his shoulder with the hand that was not keeping Ryou at a distance. The white haired boy stood up, turned the movie off, then approached his still-weary housemate. He placed a hand gently on the uncovered shoulder, touched his lips to Marik's forehead and, still smiling, suggested that he go to bed.

Marik did go to his room, but anxiousness outweighed tiredness in him now. He didn't fear Ryou – his actions made it clear that he would not pursue someone who was already claimed – but he _was_ afraid of how Bakura was going to react. Ryou may or may not know what goes on when he's not in control, but Marik was sure Bakura would. For this reason, he planned to stay up until he was sure that his housemate had gone to bed. Even though Ryou had slept for a better part of the day, there was only so much he could do around the house at this hour, and would have to turn in eventually. Marik did not know how many years Ryou and Bakura had spent living alone, however, and was not prepared to stay up until the high hours of the morning. Sleep took hold of him twenty minutes before Ryou finally headed to bed, so he was not awake to hear the footsteps pause outside his door.

Marik slept until noon, and woke to find the house eerily quiet. He was slow to get out of bed and had to sit up straight to keep from dozing off again. He'd purchased a cellphone just before leaving his hometown, and had convinced Ishizu to get one despite her hatred for them. He insisted she would only have to use it to keep in touch with him, though at first he feared she would call all the time. In reality, they'd only spoken once since he'd left, and that was only to say that he'd arrived safely. He didn't know how to feel when he realized she hadn't called to ask where he was living, or even just to check in. The phone (which was an inexpensive model and had not updated to its new time zone) reminded him that it was just after five where his sister was, and though he did not doubt that she'd be up, he wasn't sure he was prepared to talk to her that early. As he stood up and observed that he had not gotten undressed the night before, he sighed inwardly.

"Ishizu," he told the empty room, his voice heavily sarcastic, "I'm living with Bakura... the white-haired boy with the split personality," he wandered into the hallway with no thought that he was still talking out loud. "Oh, and by the way, I'm kind of sleeping with him. I know, it's wrong, but I love him, and..."

He stopped in his tracks and stared at the hand he'd been waving in the air for emphasis. _What did I just say?_


	9. Best intentions

Ryou was at school. Autumn vacation had ended, but Marik hadn't expressed interest in enrolling in Domino High, so his housemate had simply left a note at home explaining where he was. He left out that he had plans to convince Marik to come to school, as there were a few things he wanted to work out first.

In the morning, before class had begun, he stood leaning against the wall outside his homeroom. Normally, he would go in and sit at his desk, but getting less than three hours of sleep was taking its toll on him. He covered his mouth as a long yawn escaped him and was almost too distracted to notice Yugi and his friends approaching. He called out to the boy to gain his attention and respectfully asked to speak to him alone. This made his friends uneasy, but Yugi nudged them along and they ultimately went into the classroom without him.

"What is it, Bakura?" Yugi asked. Ryou made a face.

"Call me Ryou, won't you?" he said, politely as he could. "It is my name after all."

"Okay, Ryou..." the name felt strange in Yugi's mouth, but he ignored it and waited to hear what he had to say. First off, he wanted to apologize on behalf of the spirit. He didn't know why, exactly, as Bakura had the ability to block his memories, but he knew enough to tell that he'd done something disrespectful. Yugi understood the concept, as Yami could do the same with his memories – if he so desired. Ryou was glad to hear this, but still nervous about his next request.

"Your friends," he began, "they know about Yami by now, I assume?"

Yugi rolled his shoulders, "they know enough. They still kind of see him as another me and not the pharaoh yet."

Ryou paused to consider this, but held firm in his decision. "I want you to help me tell them about Bakura."

Yugi flinched, unintentionally of course. "Ryou," it still felt weird, "I don't think they'll believe you."

"Well, why not?" he had meant to sound demanding, but it came out as more of a whine. "They might now understand the difference between you and the Pharaoh, but they know about Marik's split personality, don't they?"

The claim was more statement than question, and Yugi wasn't sure how to respond to it. "I don't know how they feel about that... I had a hard time convincing them that Marik isn't insane anymore, and I'm still not sure they believe me."

Ryou sighed, "please, Yugi. We can try, can't we?"

"Why does this matter to you so much all of a sudden?" Yugi asked suddenly, sounding more like a therapist than an acquaintance. "Did something happen?"

Ryou covered his face with one hand. "I'm just sick of being mistaken for him, and taking the heat for his behavior." He brought the hand down to his briefcase, looking serious to hide his weaker emotions. "I thought if we could make them understand, maybe I could start hanging out with you."

"You're already welcome to hang out with us, Bakura," Yugi said too automatically. He bit his lip. "I mean, Ryou."

Ryou sighed and shook his head, "never mind, then. Sorry I bothered you."

Yugi would have left the boy to himself, but Yami was wiser than that. He took over and grabbed Ryou's arm, gently of course. With one word, he earned the trust he needed. "Wait."

Ryou turned back, his weakness more evident now. "Pharaoh?"

Yami gave the smile of a ruler trying to blend in with his common folk. "I sense trouble in you. How can I help?"

Ryou averted his gaze, "I already asked Yugi. He wouldn't like it if you..."

"My partner is still weary of you himself, Ryou," Yami said plainly, "and Bakura, and even Marik."

"How can he tell them that Marik has changed, but not stand up for me, then?" Ryou snapped. His eyes flashed as he caught himself, and his head was hung again. Yami looked around for a quieter place to talk, but there was none.

"He only said Marik wasn't insane anymore to ease our friends," the ex-pharaoh explained patiently. "I'm sure you know he came to see us more than once."

"He did?" Ryou seemed puzzled. "When?"

Yami was surprised, though only mildly. "That's a discussion for another time. Listen, I will talk to our friends for you. I will tell them everything you told my partner, but I cannot guarantee that they will accept you easily."

Ryou bit his lip. He wanted nothing more than to open up to the spirit right there in the hallway, but he knew that would only end badly. Instead, he nodded politely. "Thank you, Pharaoh. By any chance, are you free this evening?"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "To my knowledge. Why?"

Ryou felt himself blush and wished he hadn't. "I was hoping to invite you over."

Yami took a step back. "Ryou, I don't think..."

"Please," the boy said quietly. "I just need someone to talk to."

Though reluctant, Yami accepted the offer. Something was bothering this child on a very deep level, and his heart wouldn't allow him to pass up the chance to soothe it.

Ryou sat at his own desk during class, and did not approach Yugi's group for the rest of the day. Yami gave way to his partner for the majority of the day, until the final bell rung. As their three friends were gathering their things, he corralled them and told them about his earlier talk with Ryou. He explained the boy's dual identity, biting his tongue when looking for ways to explain who (or what) the 'Spirit of the Ring' really was. They recalled having learned about the spirit back in Duelist Kingdom, and having been re-introduced to it during Battle City. They argued that they already knew the difference between it and 'the real Bakura' (Yami had trouble getting them to call him 'Ryou'), and tried to defend their fear with facts pointing to the spirit's limitless control over him. Yami narrowed his eyes and told them that was no reason to make Ryou feel outcast, and made a short speech about 'the power of friendship'. They seemed to trust him a little more after hearing those familiar words, so he chose that moment to tell them his plans for the evening.

"He needs someone to talk to," Yami said finally, hushing any argument they'd been forming. "He needs a friend."

"Marik, I'm home," Ryou called to the quiet house. He heard no response, so he headed down the hall to the kitchen. "Marik? Are you here?"

It was a stupid question. His motorcycle was parked in its usual spot, and Marik didn't seem like the walking type. Ryou investigated the kitchen – the teapot was on the back burner but a simple touch revealed it to be room-temperature. There were fresh plates in the drying rack, meaning his guest... housemate... had eaten, and that was good. He went to the living room and saw that the note he'd left on the coffee table was gone. Obscure places aside, the only other spots Ryou thought he might be were upstairs, or out back. Normally, he would have checked upstairs first, but it was a rather nice October day, so he headed for the kitchen slider.

He stepped out onto the porch, forgetting to shield his eyes from the afternoon sun. The summer awning had been taken down about a month ago in preparation for the autumn weather but Ryou still hadn't gotten used to it, and wouldn't until the first snow, just like every year. He looked out over his garden – or what was left of it, rather – and smiled sadly. He would have liked to show it off. Beyond the garden, the rest of the yard was clear. Ryou descended and walked around to the far side of the yard which was not immediately visible from the porch. He followed the manmade stone path into the taller, un-kept grass, which was littered with weeds but sported the occasional flower from seeds that wind or wildlife had stolen from his garden. The grass eventually gave way to trees, which eventually turned to forest. Ryou wasn't sure how much of the land his family owned, so he rarely treaded farther than the pattern of flat rocks (placed by someone before him) allowed.

When he was content to decide that Marik was not on this side of the yard either, he turned back, wondering where the boy could be. He also wondered what time it was, as Yami had not given a definite hour that he would be coming over – he'd only said that Yugi had to go home first, and that there were many factors which could delay him. At first, Ryou interpreted this as an indirect rejection, and couldn't help but take it personally. Of course, Yami had no way of knowing what had happened to him less than a day prior, so Ryou maintained his composure and accepted the answer. On his walk home, he had time to compile a list of things that Yugi might encounter in his afterschool hours, after which he felt more certain that Yami had been telling the truth.

As Ryou closed the slider, he realized he'd been thinking too much to notice he was back in the house, then comprehended that he was still in his uniform and decided to change. He crossed the kitchen and entered the living room just in time to see Marik reaching the bottom of the stairs. Instead of his normal attire, however, the boy was now wearing a wide-necked black tee which was designed to rest on one shoulder and off the other; the side that was worn off-shoulder was held up by a thick white strap which was too bright against his skin. In addition, his black jeans had been replaced by tighter, acid-wash grey pants that were probably jeans, but Ryou couldn't tell by looking at them.

"Welcome home, Ryou," Marik said casually. "How was school?"

Ryou's throat felt dry, and suddenly he wanted to laugh. On the proper side of Marik's new tee, positioned at the shirt's breast, was a single word in Japanese. "Fine," Ryou was biting his lip and the first letter of his word was dragged out for some time. He began to blush ever so lightly as he fought his giggles. "You went shopping, did you?"

Marik grinned and turned to show off his new attire. "Do you like it? The cashier said it suited me perfectly."

Ryou blushed more and couldn't ask without chuckling. "Did she?"

Marik frowned. "What's the matter, Ryou? Does it look funny?"

"No," Ryou decided at last that his housemate either knew what the shirt said, or was better off ignorant. "She was right, it looks good on you."

Marik followed Ryou to his room and propped himself on the bed that was easily softer than his own. He blushed lightly as he recalled the last time he'd been on this bed, but pushed the memory away and quickly focused on Ryou. The boy had discarded his uniform jacket and was removing his shirt when he felt the gaze on him. He looked over his shoulder, blushing again, then slowly removed his shirt anyway.

"Hey, Marik," he said quietly, "about last night..."

Marik waved the words away in a manner that was too flamboyant. "Don't worry about it. I should have told you I was in a relationship."

Ryou paused as he caught himself about to remove his trousers. "That's none of my business. I shouldn't have come onto you. I don't even know if you _like_ guys."

Marik smirked. "I didn't know either, until recently."

Ryou blushed. "You _are_ dating a boy, then?"

Marik suddenly seemed much more humble. "Well, I _think_ we're dating. He's really hard to figure out."

Ryou decided he didn't care and took his pants off. "Why don't you just ask him?"

Marik stole a glance even though he didn't care for this form. Ryou was thinner than Bakura and had much less definition. "He likes to play mind games. I don't think he'd tell me."

Ryou slipped into his signature blue and white striped tee. When he moved to get his jeans, Marik saw that he'd taken off the Millennium Ring and placed it on his vanity. Ryou fastened his jeans and returned to the mirror to adjust himself. Marik observed the way he was acting, particularly the way he fluffed his hair unnecessarily, and grinned.

"You're acting like you've got a date yourself, Ryou."

Ryou blushed furiously. "Don't say it like that!" he gripped the ring, probably on accident. "I've just got someone coming over."

Marik seemed to take this personally. "Who is it?"

Ryou mumbled the answer and was consequently asked to repeat himself. Louder, he said, "the pharaoh."

Marik stood up quickly. "Yugi... Yami is coming here? Tonight?"

Ryou's nerves calmed as confusion took over. "Yes, I invited him."

"Why..." Marik was getting angry, "why would you do that?"

Ryou suddenly felt guilty and fought to not let it get to him. "It's my house, isn't it? I can invite someone over without consulting you."

"I live here now, too," Marik mumbled, then said clearly, "what about Bakura? How does he feel about this?"

"He doesn't know," Ryou said plainly, but Marik knew there was more to it than that. Bakura knew everything Ryou thought, said and did, so he was either not around or keeping suspiciously quiet. The latter thought was more irritating.

"And when he finds out...?"

"Why do you care?" Ryou demanded suddenly. "Why are you always..."

Finally, in that moment, everything dawned on him. The change in his eyes, followed by his expression, both amused and frightened Marik. What he said next was on the list of things Marik expected, though it wasn't the first.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Marik shrugged. "I figured you knew."

Ryou shook his head. "Did you... when did you...?"

"Just ask Bakura," Marik interjected. "It'll make things much simpler."

Ryou looked at the bed, down its length, then at Marik and his new shirt with that one word he had minutes ago found so very amusing. It now brought an unnatural color to his skin. "Have you two...?"

Marik waited for the words and, when they didn't come, he took into consideration where he was sitting. He couldn't stop the blush from returning. "Only once."

Ryou held his mouth shut to stop from asking any more questions. He had been able to accept that his first real crush was already taken, even if it had left him hungry for companionship. He even thought he'd be able to get past the fact that his crush _did_ like boys, and was happy despite his complicated relationship. Knowing the truth about who his crush was 'kind of dating', however, was a little too much to handle.

_**a/n:** ryou's playing a much bigger part in this story than i wanted him to T_T;_


	10. Fragility

**A/N;** _ this chapter is kind of filler-ish, it strays from the main Marik/Bakura plot and focuses on Ryou's struggle with the ordeal._

The boys didn't talk much for the rest of the evening. When Yami called to say he was on his way, Marik was laying on the couch with his nose in a paperback novel. He hadn't lifted a finger to help Ryou tidy up for his guest, but refused to stay locked in his room when it was probably where he'd end up while the pharaoh was visiting.

When Yami showed up, Ryou met him at the door and lead him down the hallway.

"I wasn't sure I had gone to the right place," Yami chuckled. "This house is so much older than all the others."

"My mother loved anything she could call Victorian," Ryou said affectionately. "She always wanted to live in a place like this."

"She must have been very happy to live here," Yami did not know the fate Ryou's parents had suffered, but he caught Ryou using the past-tense and simply followed suit. Something darkened in the boy's expression.

"She never got to."

Yami felt very awkward. He'd done his best to ignore how strange it was to be alone with Ryou, but starting off on the wrong foot pretty much cancelled out his efforts.

The strange entranceway ended up in the kitchen, which was even stranger. To the immediate right, however, was an opening to the living room, and Yami caught sight of Marik as the boy rose from his reading position. He seemed angry.

"Don't mind me," there was attitude in his voice, but Yami was distracted by his shirt. "I won't be around."

Before the ex-pharaoh could say anything, the ex-tomb keeper disappeared up the stairs of this semi-modern abode. Yami thought about asking what was wrong, then decided it wasn't his business.

Ryou had made tea and creampuffs, which he moved from the kitchen to the coffee table, refusing help when it was offered. Yami sat on the couch and waited. Once Ryou was seated, his guest was quick to inquire what it was he wanted to talk about. Ryou was taken aback by this forwardness and sheepishly admitted that there was a lot on his mind. Yami stole a creampuff from the tray and made himself comfortable.

Ryou talked for over an hour. He started at the beginning, or at least where his troubles had begun – with the death of his parents and sister. Since that time, he said, he'd had no one to talk to, no matter how hard he tried. He became distant from what friends he'd had, and ultimately had to transfer to a new home entirely. This house, he explained, was rightfully his, as his father had put a down payment on it and was planning to surprise Ryou's mother once it was fully paid off. She had not been crazy about his desire to live in Japan, but he knew he could win her heart if he provided her with her dream home. Ryou explained that his family was well-off, and his father could have bought the house in one payment, but he was being sneaky so that his wife would not suspect anything. After funeral expenses, Ryou was left with his family's money, and when the time came to leave his hometown he made no hesitation in the decision to pay off this house's mortgage. The remainder of the money went into a high-interest savings account, and had proven more than enough for him to live off even to this day.

He told of the letters he wrote to the grave, how he talked to Amane regularly and turned to her for guidance when the darkness deep inside of him began to surface. He told of how he held off that darkness, thinking at the time that it was his own heart's impurities trying to get the better of him. He confessed that it hadn't been until after he'd moved to Japan that he started hearing the voice as something that was not his own and began to suspect it to be another entity.

Marik had seated himself at the top of the staircase, out of view from the living room, but still close enough to eavesdrop. Aside from learning things he suspected Ryou would never tell him, he was interested to hear if they would talk about Bakura, and if so what they had to say. Ryou went on to say that having the spirit around made his life even more complicated, as he found it near impossible to concentrate without interference. The vast difference in their personalities caused them to have many arguments, though because they were all in his head they felt to Ryou like personal conflicts and began to make him fear himself. He described his view of himself using words like 'weak' and 'unpredictable'. He told of how it caused him to remain distant from his classmates, or anyone for that matter, making it even harder to adapt to his new home.

"Ryou," Yami said suddenly. "Why are you telling me this now? I understand that you need someone to listen, but why me, and why now?"

Ryou blushed, but Marik couldn't see it. "Well, I was going to get to that... eventually..."

"I think it'd be better," Yami shifted in a way that made him seem more authoritive. "If you told me now."

Ryou was silent for a moment and nervously sipped his tea. "Right now?"

Yami nodded. Ryou sighed.

"It's because of Marik."

Again, Yami was surprised, though only mildly. "What did he do?"

Ryou blushed. "It's not... my place to say."

Yami smirked. "Did he come onto you?"

Ryou covered his face and shook his head. Yami's eyelids lowered halfway, making him look quite smug.

"Then, he rejected you?"

Ryou parted his fingers and stared at his guest through them. Yami chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Ryou," he reached for another creampuff. They were an odd snack, but he couldn't stop eating them. "I can't fix that for you. He's already with someone else, isn't he?"

Ryou suddenly remembered their talk from that morning. "He told you, didn't he?"

Yami glanced at the boy as he licked stray cream from his finger. He sighed and offered an apologetic smile. "I was the one who told him to pursue his interest. I didn't think it would hurt you as badly as it has."

"I'm not hurt!" Ryou snapped, then looked away to hide his embarrassment. "I'm sick of him."

"Who? Bakura, or Marik?"

"Both of them!" Ryou cried and shook his head. "That's not right, is it? I'm sick of Bakura. He's done nothing but ruin my life."

"Wasn't it Bakura that invited Marik to live with you?"

"That doesn't matter," Ryou said in a low voice, "he doesn't care about me. Neither of them do."

"Without you, Bakura couldn't take form," Yami reminded him. "That makes you pretty important to both of them."

"They'd be happier if I wasn't in the way," Ryou retorted. A dark thought crossed Yami's mind.

"What would make you happiest, Ryou?"

Ryou looked up at the spirit. "Me?" he looked to the ceiling and thought for a moment. "Truthfully, I'd be happiest with my family."

"Would you give up life on Earth for it?"

Ryou looked at his guest with pure shock. "You mean kill myself?"

Yami rolled his shoulders and looked away. "I wasn't suggesting that," he looked back, "but would you give up your future? The chance to form friendships, or even fall in love, if it meant seeing your family again?"

Ryou felt cornered. Certainly the thought had crossed his mind, but even if he had nothing to lose in life, he couldn't escape the feeling that his parents would think less of him. He'd even pitched the idea to Amane, and she'd told him to continue living. If he didn't do that, would she ever forgive him? "How can we be certain what comes after death?"

Yami thought about this for a while. Everyone in this life had connections to people he knew in his time as Pharaoh. When did reincarnation take place? When did those spirits become these people? Could Ryou's family already be back on Earth, cloaked by new identities? He wished there was a way to know.

"We can't," he said finally, "and you are very smart to think of it that way."

Ryou sighed. "I can't keep Bakura away, and even if I could, Marik would hate me for it."

"Do you still _want_ to be friends with Marik?" Yami pried. Ryou looked at him quizzically.

"If your Yugi was sleeping with somebody, how would you feel about controlling his body around that person?"

Both Yami and Yugi blushed, supposing that would be quite awkward. Suddenly, Yugi shuddered.

_They_ slept _together?_ he shrieked within Yami's mind. For some reason, the ex-pharaoh found this very amusing and had to stifle a laugh. Ryou seemed offended.

"What are you thinking about, Pharaoh?"

He nearly blurted out the three-letter-word, but caught himself in time. "My partner," he explained, "is innocent in that subject. It's hard to understand when I can't imagine it happening."

_It could happen!_ Yugi whined defensively, though Yami did his best to ignore him. Ryou mulled this over.

"I suppose you're right. It's just unpleasant. I feel as though my body isn't even mine anymore."

Yami, assuming Ryou's innocence, realized how violated the boy must feel, knowing that his body had been used in acts that he had not yet experienced. That guilty feeling came back, and he suddenly felt responsible for the teen's misery.


	11. Confessions

Marik got up and wandered into Ryou/Bakura's room. He picked the Ring up from its place on the vanity and ran his finger along its edge. He slipped the rope over his head, then looked at himself in the mirror and scoffed. Why had he even bothered buying new clothes? Bakura wasn't going to care. Just like he wasn't going to care when he was told what his partner had learned about himself that morning. Ryou was right, Bakura just didn't care.

_Haven't I taught you anything?_

Marik jumped as the voice echoed in his head. He looked down at the Ring and gripped it gently. "Bakura?"

_I already punished you once for saying I don't care_, the voice growled. _You claimed to have learned your lesson_.

Marik laughed softly. "I forgot."

The Ring glowed brightly and Marik felt the strange familiarity of no longer being in control of his body. His hand moved to his side and slipped under his shirt, running his fingers up his side. _I could make you do anything to yourself right now._

Marik blushed as his body stepped backwards and laid down on the bed. His hand moved up to his chest while the other inched its way toward his lips. "D...don't... Ryou, and the Pharaoh..."

His hand latched onto his neck and pushed down on the gold bands, stopping his voice. _You're not to say anyone's name but mine._

The hand on his chest began digging his nails into his skin and he let out a choked yelp. "Ku...ra..."

He regained feeling in his arms and gasped for breath as he sat upright. After a moment, he could control the rest of his body again. The Ring lay still, and Bakura was quiet. Marik sat still for a moment, but ultimately got up and put the item back where he'd found it. He had a feeling his punishment wasn't over, but he didn't mind. He held his breath to keep from saying those three words he was now dying to confess.

Yami had tried to come up with solutions to Ryou's problem, but they all proved to be temporary fixes at best. There didn't seem to be anything they could do to make life easier for the boy, and with every passing sentence he seemed to be less and less willing to try. Finally, Yami suggested the one thing he'd thought of but tried to avoid coming to.

"If you could, would you leave that body?"

Ryou would have shown more interest in this if he weren't feeling so down. "If I could? I would want Bakura to find a new body."

"I know," Yami said patiently, "but he's grown to like yours."

"It was mine first," Ryou mumbled immaturely. Yami didn't waste time humoring him.

"Ownership comes down to whichever of you is stronger, Ryou," he said firmly, "he could take permanent control over you at any point, if he really wanted to."

"Then, by running away, wouldn't I just be giving him what he wants?"

"Technically, yes," Yami sat back, "but if you chose to leave, you wouldn't be lost."

Ryou shook his head, "I would be, because I'd be admitting that I'm too weak to keep the one thing that should never be taken from me."

Yami sighed, "Ryou, your only other option is to continue living the way you already are and learn to deal with it."

"I know," Ryou said irritably. "I thought if I opened up to you, I would feel more comfortable around you and your friends, making school life easier at least."

"You can't rush these things, Ryou," Yami stood up and stretched. "I'm sorry about what happened to your family, and I do understand you a lot better now, knowing about it. However, these are the kinds of things that you need to talk to a therapist about, not a friend. Friends are there to make day to day easier, and to help you through difficulties you encounter _during_ your friendship. If they weren't a part of your life, they can't relate to you, and they won't know how to comfort you."

"A therapist?" Ryou echoed thoughtfully. "Bakura would never allow me to go to a therapist."

Yami put a hand on Ryou's shoulder firmly. "You _can_ overpower him, Ryou. This is _your_ lifetime."

"Could Yugi ever overpower you?" Ryou asked with mild attitude. Yami's hand twitched.

"He and I communicate," the spirit replied. "He doesn't need to be stronger than me."

"So that's a no, is it?" a statement disguised as a question. Yami was becoming annoyed.

"He will be, some day."

Marik had decided to call Ishizu, but she didn't answer her phone. He left her a voicemail, then put the phone back on his bedside table and pulled out his Duel Monsters cards. He shuffled through them with mild interest, but his deck just didn't feel complete without the Winged Dragon, and he had no reason to duel anymore, anyway. He put the cards away and stood up to stretch. He'd left his door open, but his back was to it so he didn't see Ryou walk past. He looked out the small window which offered a limited view into the backyard and smiled absently at a pair of small, brown birds that flew by. When he turned around, he jumped, not having expected his love to be standing there.

Before he could say anything, his back was against the wall and he was being held up by the throat. Bakura seemed amused, which eased the initial fear Marik felt, but that didn't change the fact that he was growing dizzy fast. In one swift motion, Bakura moved him from the wall to the bed and had him pinned again. He took this moment to look his prey up and down, and lightly ran his tongue over his lip in approval.

"Cute shirt," he slid one leg up between Marik's thighs and gently pressed his knee to the boy's crotch. "I didn't know you could read Japanese."

"I've picked up a few words," Marik wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck and tried to pull him closer. "That pertain to my interests."

Bakura allowed himself to be pulled down. "Is that so? What else have you learned?"

Marik leaned up and kissed his partner. Bakura was quick to deepen it, but Marik pulled away when he felt a hand sliding up his shirt. He grasped Bakura's wrist and stared into his eyes, hoping that he'd understand and take him seriously. Though he was hesitant, Bakura held still and waited to hear what Marik had to say.

He tried three times before the word finally came out, but when it did it was pronounced with perfect fluency.

"Aishiteru."

For what was probably the first time, Bakura truly blushed. "Marik..."

"It's okay if you can't say it back," Marik smiled, "I had all day to think about it and I just wanted you to know."

Bakura rested beside his lover, having lost his drive to play. "I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before."

"At all?" Marik seemed surprised, "or just the way I said it."

Bakura closed his eyes and scanned through his memories. "At all," he said at last. "The only person who ever said they loved me was my mother."

"Your mother?" Marik mused, "that was three thousand years ago."

Bakura nodded, then caught himself and smirked, "though, I've never treated anyone the way I treat you."

Marik still smiled. He was learning to differentiate when his love was only saying things for his pride from when he actually meant them. "Are you trying to make me feel special?"

What Bakura did next was more shocking than anything he could have said. He touched Marik's cheek, kissed him, and smiled. It lasted only a moment before it turned into a smirk, but Marik would never forget it. "Do I even have to try?"

Half an hour later, Marik's new clothes were strewn across his bedroom floor and he lay spent beside his lover. He ran the back of his hand over his lips absently, still getting used to the salty taste in his mouth. Unpleasant as it was, he had already showered earlier in the day and hadn't planned on needing to again. His body was significantly less sore than their first time, and Bakura had enjoyed not having to pace himself as much. The spirit was sitting upright and began to rummage through his lover's bedside drawer. Marik lay on his stomach with his arms folded over the pillow, his blanket covering his legs but leaving his back exposed. When Bakura couldn't find what he was looking for, he bit the tip of his thumb in frustration. Marik propped himself up on one arm, recalling a similar reaction in him the first time.

"What is it you're looking for?" the tanned boy asked. Bakura glanced in his direction, clenched his hand into a fist, and rested it at his side. He ran his free hand down Marik's back, taking a good look at the encryption for the first time.

"A bad habit," the spirit grinned. He reached in the drawer again and pulled out Marik's deck. Marik rested his head on the pillow again.

"Don't expect much from that," he commented absently. "Yugi has my best cards now."

"Have you ever thought of taking them back?"

Marik made a face. "I don't care about revenge anymore, and the Pharaoh needs them to get back to his own time."

Bakura raised an eyebrow and tapped the center of Marik's back. "I know you can't see this, but you know what it says, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Marik reached back and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders to stop Bakura from referencing it. Bakura set the deck on the table and leaned over to kiss Marik's shoulder blade, making him blush.

"What did you tell me today? I want to hear you say it again."

Marik buried his face in his pillow. "It's not the same when you ask me to say it."

Bakura grabbed a fistful of Marik's hair and yanked his head back. "I wasn't asking."

"Let go!" Marik cried out. Bakura obeyed. Marik glared at him with the slightest hint of water in his eyes. "If that's how you treated everyone in your life, I don't blame them for never saying it to you!"

Bakura growled softly, pressing his teeth together hard enough to bring pain to his jaw. He looked away and said in a voice almost impossible to hear, "I'm sorry."

Marik stopped rubbing the back of his head and stared dumbly at his lover. "What..."

Bakura closed his eyes. "You heard me, right?"

Marik nodded, then realized Bakura wouldn't see that. He smiled and pulled himself up, pressing his chest to the spirit's arm. "Yes, I heard you."

He touched the soft, pale cheek and encouraged Bakura to turn and face him. When their eyes met, he kissed him briefly, keeping their gaze locked the whole time. Bakura felt like his heart was in his throat. "Marik, I..."

"Shh," Marik nuzzled his partner. "Don't say it until you're ready."

"Say it to me, won't you?"

"Bakura, I love you."


	12. Progression

**A/N:** _this chapter covers approximately nine months time and is completely narrative. i tried including dialogue at points but the story is progressing slower than i am comfortable with. this seemed like the best way to sum up a large amount of time without simply saying (one year later), and it allowed me to build Marik's character._

Marik never learned what Bakura had planned to tell him. Ryou never asked Marik to join Domino High. As a matter of fact, the two hardly ever spoke again.

Ryou started going to a therapist on Wednesdays, and tried hanging out with Yugi's circle of friends during the day. Despite efforts by both the boy and the group, it soon became evident that it wasn't going to work, so Ryou found himself a new group of friends. It turned out that two girls in the class had always wanted to approach him, so when they saw him start to open up to Yugi's friends they took the opportunity to learn more about him through them. Eventually, Yugi convinced them to talk to him themselves and they hit it off almost instantly. One of the girls had brown hair and a fascination with travel, so Ryou found himself talking a lot about his father. The other had dark hair that normally looked black, but – when the light caught it just right – it was revealed to be deep blue. Her spunky attitude reminded him of his sister... at least, the way Ryou remembered her.

Amane was usually a bookworm, seeming to the entire world like the perfect well-behaved, straight-A's child, but around her baby brother she revealed her true self. With Ryou she was (almost) always hyper, saying and doing stupid things to make him laugh or sometimes just to keep herself from going insane, but he loved it nonetheless. It also strengthened his admiration of her, to see her reveal that personality and then – at the drop of a hat – turn it off and go into Perfect Child mode once more. It was so automatic, he started calling it PC-Mode, which (again, almost) always made his big sister laugh.

He found himself talking about Amane a lot, but they didn't react the way Yami said friends would. They comforted him, they showed concern and, when appropriate, they even laughed. They loved listening to him talk about his family, his past, and anything else that he cared to say. Their friendship was nothing like what Yugi and his group had, and he loved it.

Marik and Bakura saw each other every night. Marik spent his days learning how to care for himself now that Ryou was hardly ever around. He learned how to cook, though not without consequence, so he put his knowledge to use and got a part-time job at the local museum. In just a couple months, he was able to replace Ryou's kitchenware. The museum closed for the winter, but Marik put away what he had left to begin saving for a computer. Bakura insisted on paying for half of it and, when Marik refused, he found himself being given a brand new laptop for his birthday.

The couple spent the first few days of winter vacation together all day. After Christmas, Ryou spent a few days with his friends and got invited to a New Year's Eve party. This caused conflict, as the couple wanted to bring in the New Year together, but Ryou didn't want to turn down his friends. Bakura eventually threatened to invite Marik along and kiss him in front of everybody – therefore ruining any chance at a relationship his hikari had – and Ryou gave in. The couple got to have the night to themselves and, though they spend it indoors, Marik made traditional _osechi-ryori_ (minus the fish cakes) and onigiri. Bakura didn't eat much, which worried his young lover, but when the night came to an end his peculiar behavior was explained. Just before midnight, in a voice and a manner one-hundred percent unlike his usual self, he told Marik he'd held to a tradition as well. He'd written a poem, a haiku – the last line of which was _Marik, I love you._

They shared their first kiss of the New Year, followed by the best sex they'd had yet. Marik was in such a good mood the following day that he allowed Ryou to take any of the untouched meals with him when he left to spend the day with his two friends. As soon as the pale boy was gone, Marik called his sister repeatedly until she answered and, when she did, he told her everything.

A week later, when school started up again, Marik often turned to his computer for entertainment. The museum would be re-opening in a month or so, and he would re-apply for his position at that time, but until then he needed something to fill his days. Ishizu still wasn't talking to him, but he presumed she'd need at least a month to process her new knowledge. In the meantime, he discovered a website where users submitted their artwork, and it had numerous features for turning the art into something sellable. Without thought, he took the money he'd set aside for his computer and spent it on art supplies.

As a child, he had exposure to only one medium, but he'd always excelled at it. Due to his nature, however, he had limited subject knowledge and mostly painted artistic renditions of the scriptures he'd been taught as a child, but they sold well. Two weeks after returning to the museum, he was promoted to a full time position. He called Ishizu with the news. She praised his job and his painting hobby, and even showed signs that she had begun to accept his 'chosen' lifestyle. However, the new schedule caused a fight with his boyfriend and when he called her up that same day for support, she was reluctant to give it. For the first time in months, he went to see Yugi. Even the King of Games didn't know what to tell him, though he did show some jealousy toward the job position. Yami told Marik he should have a female friend to discuss relationship problems with and, against Yugi's will, gave him Tea's number. Marik returned home, not much interested in talking to Tea, but he kept her number nonetheless.

Bakura eventually came around, after seeing the positive difference in Marik's demeanor. Of course, the Egyptian had days where he complained about everything, but Bakura also learned the best ways to deal with it. The good news was that his lover seemed happy, and the days in which he came home satisfied with life far outweighed the ones where he needed to have a warm bubble bath prepared within five minutes of walking through the door.

Holidays and festivals came and went – Ryou celebrated Valentine's Day with his girl friends, so Bakura surprised Marik with chocolates for White Day. When spring came, Kyoko and Reina invited Ryou to a local cherry blossom festival. Marik had no interest in the festival activities, but he did convince Bakura to go on a few moonlit walks so they could observe the seasonal beauty. More than once, these walks ended in making love outdoors, in increasingly risky locations.

With work filling his days and love filling his nights, Marik found less and less time to paint. Though his job generated enough to pay his share of things around the house, he enjoyed his hobby and looked for ways to upkeep it. Using the museum, internet and public library, he brushed up on his knowledge of hieroglyphs and began filling personal art requests. Painting a simple word or name took only an hour, usually, and he found personal reward in writing things from his own name to entire sentences in the dead language.

Over the summer months, he found himself regularly exposed to Duel Monsters. In stores, at cafes, and – with the help of KaibaCorp – even in the streets. Living on the same side of town as the rich teenager, the streets were often busy with traffic to and from KaibaLand. Marik also found himself bumping into Yugi's group of friends more often. The Egyptian's time in public was limited by his job and his boyfriend's hatred of daylight, but they worked out a schedule that ensured at least one date a week. Over time, Yugi even began to address the couple willingly, and Marik _did_ find talking to Tea strangely relieving. Joey and Tristan took longer to accept the boys into their lives, but they were regularly distracted by Duke and Serenity anyway.

On the days when Ryou controlled his body, he would almost always leave the house to Marik. The few times he did have the girls over, Marik mostly stayed in his room. Whether Ryou was home or out, Marik put every workless, Bakura-less moment toward either reading or painting, and it was usually the latter. In a total of about six months, he perfected his ability to paint the Egyptian version of the three God Cards. When finally released them to the public, they would sell in bulk.

About halfway through this process, Bakura began acting peculiar. Marik figured it was just because the summer had drawn to an end and Ryou would be returning to school soon. When the pale boy came home after his first day of classes, Marik gave him a small gift box and told him it was an early birthday present. He didn't care when the recipient opened it, but he did want to know what his plans were for the second. (He assumed Bakura did not remember his own birthday, and so would celebrate it on the same day as his host). Ryou informed Marik that he had no plans for that day, but also that – in the years they'd shared a vessel – Bakura had not shown any interest in celebrating. Marik ignored this and told Ryou to come straight home from school that day, and to be prepared to let Bakura take over.

When Ryou told his friends he would be busy on his birthday, they insisted on taking him out the day before. Marik was working late on the first to make up for requesting the second off, so Ryou had no reason to be home that evening and ended up spending it at the mall. Kyoko and Reina bought him a new outfit and split the cost so there would be no hostility over 'whose gift was better'. After changing into his new clothes (which were very punk and unlike anything he'd worn before), they dragged him out of the mall and to a nearby bakery. He fervently told them they were not going to buy him a cake, to which they slyly said they knew. Before he could question it, the attendant handed them a box over the counter which they took cheerily over to the corner booth. Ryou dreadfully obeyed when he was told to open the box, and inside was a personalized cake wishing him a happy 19th birthday. He looked up at them, from one to the other, then lovingly hugged them both and said he'd never know what he'd done to deserve such wonderful friends.

Marik's idea of celebrating Bakura's birthday was some combination of Egyptian tradition and his own twisted uniqueness. He decorated the interior of the house with _zeena_ and dressed himself as a servant. Some months prior, he had asked his lover to describe what he wore in his time as _Touzokuou_, and used this knowledge to purchase a garment as similar to it as he could imagine. Bakura found this quite amusing, along with his partner's idea of turning their evening into a role-play session. With his long hair, pale skin and slightly leaner build, Bakura felt rather comical in the garment at first. He touched his cheek absently as he stared at his reflection, then had an idea. Sure enough, he found the concealer (which he'd suspected his lover occasionally wore) and applied it carefully beneath his right eye. When Marik saw what he'd done, he felt amused and embarrassed. Later that night, when they lay together as boyfriends (no longer servant and master), he would tell his lover that he was a very good role-player, but also that he was glad he hadn't cut his hair. Bakura would reply by calling him the strangest person that he'd ever slept with, in _any_ of his lives. Marik would nuzzle him and beg to be reminded that he was the only person the spirit ever loved, and Bakura would laugh before kissing him and saying those fateful three words.


	13. Change of plans

The next month passed uneventfully until it came time for autumn vacation once more. At first, Marik regarded it as just another break in the school year, but a call from his sister reminded him that it'd been just over a year since he'd moved to Domino, and that meant...

For the first time since he'd gotten it, Marik fished through his desk for Tea's number. She didn't answer his call, and he didn't want to leave a message; instead, he went to the internet. His phone rang about an hour later.

"Hello?" it was Tea, "who is this?"

Marik paused for a moment, then realized it'd been the first time he'd called her. "Sorry, Tea. It's Marik."

He briefly explained why Yugi had given him her number, and she laughed it off. She said she hadn't answered because she was at the movies. Momentarily sidetracked, he asked who she was there with, but she replied in a guilty voice, "I went alone. The boys had plans of their own and Serenity's busy studying for her senior high placement test."

Marik, who had all but become Tea's 'girlfriend', laughed at her. "Well, you have my number now, so call me if that ever happens again. As long as Bakura's not home, I'll be glad to join you."

"Yeah, alright," Tea agreed, then said quickly, "hey, if you're not busy now, you wanna catch a late lunch?"

Marik checked his computer for the time. He didn't think Ryou had said how long he'd be gone. "Sure, I could use a girl's company."

They arranged to meet at a luncheon in the local shopping district, so Marik gave Ryou a call before he left. Because they talked so rarely, they always answered each other's calls in case it was an emergency. Ryou blushed as he was told (quite suggestively) that the house was going to be empty for a few hours, and the call was ended before he could respond.

Marik donned a wide-collared shirt with long, lace-up sleeves, tight black jeans and his new favourite ankle boots. Twenty minutes later, he and Tea were deep in conversation about the best ways to spend your one-year anniversary.

Of course, Marik knew what he wanted to do, but the timing just wasn't right for that yet. After a day or two of trying to figure it out, he brought his dilemma to his boyfriend's attention. Bakura was surprised at first; mostly because it was the afternoon of the eighth and they technically began their relationship on the ninth. Marik admitted that he didn't know which day to consider their actual anniversary, since neither of them had officially asked the other out. Bakura smirked, leaned across the table (they had been eating dinner at the time), and ran a finger down Marik's jawline.

"If we don't consider tomorrow our anniversary, it won't change the fact that I was the one who took your virginity."

Marik had maintained his composure for the touch, but those words caused his fork to slip from his grip and clatter against his plate. He held his hand up as though it would hide his blush and stammered his lover's name. Bakura laughed and returned to his meal. Marik looked down at his lap, clenching his fists under the table.

"What about the tenth, then?" he looked for a reaction, but got none. "I considered that our first date, but did you?"

Bakura thought back and remembered the movies. He also remembered that they had never discussed what happened between his host and his partner that night. "I would consider it a date, yes... but I don't like the idea of calling it our anniversary."

Marik was becoming hurt. "The next morning was when I realized I'd fallen in love with you."

Bakura remembered that day, too, though he wished he could forget the majority of it. "Marik..."

The tanned boy sighed and reached for his lover's hand. "Bakura, we can't pick a random day just because the others aren't perfect. I hated some parts of that day too, but I didn't let it stop me from confessing my feelings to you when I had the chance. I didn't wait because I wanted you to know, and I got to see you react in a way that no one else ever has."

Bakura tried to pull his hand away, but Marik gripped it tighter. He didn't like being reminded of his moments of weakness, but the unconditional love in his partner's eyes was enough to soothe his irritation. "Alright, Marik, you win. From now on, the eleventh of October will be considered our anniversary."

Marik smiled and idly commented as he returned to his dinner, "it's a good thing this is Ryou's last year of high school. I would hate to have the inconvenience of losing my morning with you every year."

Bakura seemed to slowly realize what this meant, then simply smirked. "Well, I guess my hikari's perfect attendance will have to suffer in his final year."

Marik offered his own smirk in return. "You can't do that to him, Bakura."

"Bloody hell I can't," Bakura spat. "We've given him more than enough leniency, he owes it to us."

Marik laughed. He certainly didn't disagree, but he wasn't going to be the one to suggest it. Bakura raised an eyebrow at him but he just shook his head in silence. The spirit didn't need to be told how much he'd changed over the past year; if he knew, he wouldn't want it to be brought up and, if he didn't, Marik never wanted him to find out. True, he had fallen for the cold-hearted cynical bastard Bakura once was, but a slightly softer heart made the ex-thief so much easier to love.

Ryou was not pleased about the couple's decision. The next day (and for the first time in months) he had an actual conversation with Marik, deeming him the more sensible of the two and trying to make him reconsider. Marik almost felt guilty, but he'd become too detached from the pale boy to have any real feelings for him. He apologized finally and said there was nothing he could do. In return, he allowed Ryou to stay in control of Bakura's body for the rest of that day and encouraged him to hang out with Reina and Kyoko. Ryou didn't feel justified, but he wasn't going to pass up the chance to see his friends. Marik even left the house so that Ryou could properly invite them over. Of course, Marik and Bakura had planned this in advance, but Ryou didn't need to know that.

The air was colder than the Egyptian predicted and, almost immediately after leaving the house, he regretting having chosen to wear his old top. The light hair on his arms stood up and the wind on his exposed midriff sent chills up his spine. His destination wasn't that far, he told himself, so he grit his teeth and bore the cold.

By the time he reached the Game Shop, he was shivering. He failed to fully extend the kickstand on his first attempt and his motorcycle almost fell on its side as a result. Quickly, he leapt forward and caught it but he had to work fast as the trembling from his surprise combined with his shivers and was beginning to make him sick. Once the bike was safely parked, he all but ran into the Game Shop.

"Hello," Solomon said with an air of curiosity in his voice. "Marik, is it?"

Marik shakily stepped toward the counter. "C-c-can't... get he-helmet... off..."

Solomon observed the boy patiently, then grinned and held his hands out. "You'll have to come closer, I'm not as tall as I used to be."

Marik's eye twitched but he knew he needed help so he did as he was told. When he leaned over the counter, his shivering caused the metal bands on his arms to clang against the glass. Solomon gripped the helmet and pulled it off quickly.

"Th-th-thank you..." Marik was embarrassed. Solomon had shoved the helmet into his arms quickly in order to stop the potentially-damaging clatter. Thankfully, the shop seemed to have heating. "Is Yu...Yugi home?"

"He's in the living room with his friends," Solomon answered slowly. Marik didn't know why he was being treated suspiciously. "He mentioned you the other day, you know?"

He shook his head; he didn't know. "What d...did he say?"

Solomon turned his head in a disdaining way. "He said that you were dating that Bakura kid now. I don't think he meant to tell me, though. He seemed awfully reluctant after he said it."

Marik blushed again, but why? What did this old man's opinion matter to him? "Does it bother you? I'm not going to hit on your grandson, if that's what you're thinking."

Something flashed in Solomon's eyes and Marik thought he saw the corners of the man's mouth twitch. "Why not?"

Marik's eyes widened. What kind of question was that? Solomon must have found this hilarious as he suddenly bellowed out in laughter. Marik said nothing, allowing his expression to portray his emotions.

"You kids' personal lives aren't any of my business," Solomon said when he'd regained his composure. He then leaned over the counter supporting himself on one arm and winked. "Tell me truly, though. What's wrong with my grandson?"

Marik blushed even more at this, and Yugi chose that moment to come through the door on the far side of the Game Shop. Before he spoke, however, he caught sight of his visitor.

"Oh. Hi, Marik."

Marik suddenly felt hurt. What had he done to get that reaction? "He...hello... Yugi..."

Yugi looked down and to the side. "Listen, Marik, my friends are here right now, and they..."

"Yugi," Solomon interrupted, "I thought Marik was one of your friends, too."

"He... he is!" Yugi stuttered, "but the guys don't... I mean, they..."

"Ryou kicked me out for the day," Marik lied, "I... I didn't know where else to go."

"You should have seen him when he came in!" Solomon exclaimed. "It's too cold out to be driving around on that motorcycle of his."

Marik grit his teeth, but Yugi seemed to be mulling it over. Finally, he sighed. "Alright, you can stay. Tea's here, too, so at least you'll have someone to talk to."

Marik didn't like not feeling welcome, but it wasn't like he didn't understand. He didn't much care for Tristan or Joey, and their chauvinistic fear of him just served to fuel that fire. He followed Yugi through the doorway, earning another less-than-desirable glance from Solomon on his way, then considered asking if he could talk to the Pharaoh. The hallway to the living room proved to be much shorter than the one that lead from Ryou's front door to the kitchen, however, leaving him with no time to talk.

"Hey, guys," Yugi said (with a total lack of enthusiasm), "we've got a visitor."

His three friends turned and emitted their usual chorus of mixed responses. Tristan and Joey made a lame sound that might have been a half-assed 'hello' (but nobody really knew), then Tea rolled her eyes and stood up to approach their guest. Marik smiled at her and accepted what had come to be their usual 'hello hug', offering a smirk as she pulled away.

"So, you bought the padded bra after all?" Marik whispered, making Tea blush. Yugi, who was not supposed to have heard him, blushed as well and quickly walked over to the guys. Marik grinned. "I thought you said..."

"Be quiet!" Tea slapped his shoulder. "Geez, I'm never going shopping with you again!"

Marik laughed, "but I have such great fashion sense!"

Tea sneered, then realized she was wearing the jeans Marik had helped her pick out the day they'd hung out. She sighed and whispered, "fine, but keep your mouth shut about my underwear from now on, will you?"

"If you were wearing a skirt," Marik whispered, his voice heavy, "I'd flip it up in the back and show everyone your underwear right now."

Tea blushed and Marik walked away laughing. For his own reasons, Yugi asked him what was so funny, but he simply shook his head and said nothing.


	14. Mixed signals

Marik sat on the couch and Tea rejoined the group, sitting next to him. Tristan and Joey had been sitting on the floor near a table; Yugi sat on the side opposite them. He and Joey had apparently been in the middle of a duel, when Yugi had heard his grandpa laughing uncontrollably and that was why he'd come out.

"Did you find out what was so funny?" Joey asked, laying a card down. Yugi shook his head and played a stronger monster, putting Joey at a disadvantage.

"No," he looked at Marik, "what _was_ he laughing at?"

At first, this made him nervous, but he quickly chose to turn it on the spiky-haired boy.

"Me, actually," he was acting shy, "he tried scaring me into thinking he was homophobic."

Yugi gave an obviously forced laugh. "Grandpa? No, he doesn't care about things like that."

"Obviously not," Marik's tone slipped toward sinister, "considering he thinks _you're_ gay, too."

Yugi fumbled and dropped his cards. "_What_?"

Marik had to fight back laughter, causing him to grin awkwardly. "Uh-huh... after he came clean and told me my personal life wasn't his business, he straight up asked why I wasn't interested in hitting on you."

Yugi blushed. "Well, that doesn't mean he thinks _I'm_ gay, does it?" he asked defensively.

"Nah, Yuge," Joey cast a glare at Marik, "this fag's just pullin' yer leg."

Marik tensed, but Tea was lightning quick to smack Joey across the face. The blonde screamed, more in surprise than real pain, and threw his cards down on the table.

"What the heck d'ya do that for, Tea?" he slurred, but the fire in her eyes told him to watch his mouth.

"You should be more considerate of others, Joey!" she tried to keep her tone even. "Marik may have hurt us in the past, but he's done nothing to you since he's been back and I'm sick of the way you two," she quickly shifted her gaze to Tristan, "behave around him now."

"Hey," Tristan put his hands in defensive, "I didn't say anything!"

"Maybe not," Tea put her hand over her heart, "but you haven't made any positive efforts, either."

Tristan sat back quietly, but Joey was fuming. Yugi had done his best not to interfere, but he didn't want his day to be ruined. He switched to Yami whose authoritive voice demanded attention. "That's enough."

Everyone looked in his direction. His posture was calm, but his eyes were clouded. "Marik, you shouldn't play with people's emotions. Not everyone is as comfortable with sexuality as you are."

"Tch," Marik looked away, but his name was called threateningly by his Pharaoh. His shoulders became tense as he growled submissively, "fine, I'll apologize to Yugi later."

"Can't he hear us right now?" Joey asked smugly. Marik growled, but Yami spoke before he could.

"A face-to-face apology is more meaningful," sharp, royal eyes cast down at the kneeling blonde. "Marik knows this, Joey, but do you?"

It was Joey's turn to growl, "you expect me to apologize to _him_?" he cast a finger at Marik who had to strongly resist swatting it away. The hand lowered on its own, as well as Joey's voice. "No way."

Again, Yami's voice demanded respect from the name it called. The blonde looked up with pure hatred, but when their eyes met he realized he was now arguing with Yugi's other self. His own words came back in a wave of guilt as he wondered what his best friend must think of him now. Although he had to swallow all of his pride, he looked up at the boy he'd insulted.

"Marik," his hand clenched into a fist and trembled. Marik tried to ignore it. "I'm sorry."

Marik opened his mouth but Yami continued speaking. "Lastly, Tea; I know you meant well, but Joey and Marik need to work out their differences on their own. Turning against your friends is only going to increase tension between everyone."

Tea blushed, "I guess you're right." She held a hand out to Joey, "I'm sorry I hit you," and the other to Marik, "and I'm sorry I didn't let you defend yourself."

The boys grinned. Marik told her, "it's better you interfered, really. I've never been called that word before, and wasn't really sure how to react to it."

Joey took Tea's hand and she helped him to his feet. He said to Marik, "I wasn't tryin' to offend ya. My father's a loser and I picked up a lot of nasty words from him that I sometimes use without thinkin'."

Yami smiled, satisfied with the turnout. He switched back to Yugi who had been watching the whole time and was glad that everyone seemed to cooperate. Marik caught sight of the smaller boy and smiled guiltily.

"Yugi," he said, moving past Tea and Joey to reach him, "I'm sorry I acted so twisted. I _wanted_ to make you nervous, but I didn't think about your feelings." He chuckled suddenly, "the only person I really spend time with is Bakura and, well, you know how he is."

"Well, no wonder you don't know how to act around us," Tristan spoke up. He'd thought about what Tea said, and was trying to include himself. "That guy's the last person I'd ask for social advice."

Marik bit his tongue to keep from saying anything sharp. "Yes, he's much more comfortable at home, alone."

Yugi sensed tension returning to the Egyptian and thought quickly. "You know, we haven't eaten any lunch yet."

Marik looked at the boy curiously. Yugi rolled his eyes innocently.

"It's really cold out today, so we probably shouldn't walk anywhere..."

Marik sighed and, for a moment, wished he'd never bragged about his cooking skills. Once Yugi showed him to the kitchen and he familiarized himself with its layout, however, he was happy to be doing something they'd appreciate.

After he made lunch, they five of them got along fairly well for the remainder of the day. When Marik got a call from Ryou saying that his friends would be leaving soon, Joey even showed signs of not wanting him to leave. Granted, they had been in the middle of dueling Yugi together and trying to strengthen Joey's strategy, but it was nice to know he'd made a dent in the boy's rough exterior. Before he stood up to go, he timidly asked Yugi if he could hold the God Cards. Yugi was weary at first, but Marik assured him that he hadn't forgotten why Yugi needed them. After a moment of thought, he decided no harm could come from it and handed the cards to their previous owner. Marik really only cared for one, but it was a nice feeling to be holding them all again. He handled them gently, wondering why he no longer felt their power emanating from them – it was as though only their owner could feel their true energy. He handed Slifer and Obelisk back to Yugi, but held onto Ra just a moment longer. There was a brief moment when he felt something, but it remained faint at best. With a sigh he handed it back and thanked the boy. Truthfully, he wanted to hold his Rod again, too, but he was afraid to ask.

Yugi walked Marik out and they saw that it had begun raining. Marik made a noise of disgust and reluctantly bid his goodbyes. Yugi hesitated, then asked the boy to wait and ran up to his room. Marik did as he was told, ignoring Solomon as best he could, then Yugi returned with something in his hand. He handed it to Marik saying he could borrow it, but he expected it back the next time they hung out. For a moment, Marik wasn't sure what surprised him more – the jacket he had just been given, or the obvious invitation to see him socially again. Marik joked that the jacket would be too small, but Yugi only grinned. When Marik slipped it on, it fit surprisingly well, though it was a bit snug at his waist. He eyed the boy and suddenly both Yugi and Solomon laughed.

The jacket was Yugi's mother's.

Marik took it off as soon as he got home and draped it over his motorcycle. Bakura wouldn't notice it until three days later when Ryou came home from school and checked (as he always did) to see if Marik was home. In the meantime, Ryou's friends had left before Marik had made it home and Ryou had chosen to nap on the couch. Marik got to welcome himself home by planting a kiss on his lover's lips, but was greeted with less enthusiasm as Bakura quickly picked up on familiar scents that gave away where his partner had been all day. Marik then spent the evening reliving his day so his jealous boyfriend would not doubt his loyalty.

They stayed up late that night and thus slept late the next day, not leaving much room for activity. Once more, Ryou asked them to reconsider their plans for the following day, though this time he was not granted control of his body and thus could only talk to Bakura. Ultimately, the couple decided they would just relive their first date, only this time they would do it right. They viewed the movie schedule for the local theatre, and discussed restaurants in the area trying to decide which one would make their date perfect.

Marik woke up in the morning and slinked down to the kitchen to make breakfast. He worked hurriedly, though Bakura was just beginning to stir when his partner returned to the bedroom with two diet-specific morning meals. Bakura smirked and sat up, not bothering to tell Marik that he hardly ever enjoyed eating this early. Marik crawled back into bed and sat beside his boyfriend, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek. Bakura turned his head and caught the boy's lips, slipped a hand into his hair and deepened it just enough to take his breath away. He pulled away slowly and whispered 'I love you', knowing that it'd drive his _uke_ wild. Marik did his best to enjoy his breakfast and couldn't help but note that Bakura was taking his sweet time. By the time they finished, he was hardly in the mood anymore, but then Bakura kissed him again and emotion took over from there. Though it was a rarity in their relationship, there were times where Marik felt as though they weren't 'having sex' but they were _making love_, and that morning was one of them. Feeling more than satisfied, the Egyptian nearly fell asleep and forgot about the day ahead of them.

The movie wasn't the best mood-setter, but the sun began to set as they were driving to the restaurant and Bakura kept his arms wrapped obediently around his lover's waist during the drive. They had chosen a less extravagant location than they'd originally discussed, having both agreed that being somewhere too upscale would make them feel uncomfortable.

About halfway through dinner, Marik said, "you know, Bakura, there's something I wanted to ask you tonight."

Bakura braced himself, unable to remember the last time he'd heard such seriousness in his boyfriend's voice. "What is it, Marik?" A pause, then he added quite uncharacteristically, "is everything alright?"

Marik looked up in confusion, but smiled, "of course it is. I've just been thinking. Winter break is coming up soon."

"Marik, autumn break just ended today," Bakura laughed. "You just took a week off from work even though the museum's closing for the season soon. I think you should worry more about that."

Marik shook his head, "they love me there, honey. I've told you that. You just never get the chance to visit."

"I will next year," Bakura grinned. Marik smiled and nodded, but didn't want to get sidetracked.

"Anyway, what I wanted to ask you was..." he blushed and felt his voice hitch.

_It's not that big a deal_, he told himself. _Just ask him._

Bakura felt concern as he watched his lover take an unplanned sip of water. On the surface, he hid his feelings well enough, but Marik could sense that he was uneasy. He took a deep breath and mustered all his confidence to try once more.

"Bakura," his voice shook, so he steadied it. Then, perfectly clear, he asked, "will you go to Egypt with me?"

When his question was met with silence, Marik couldn't help but stare at his boyfriend, trying to read his expression. Though he faltered at times, however, Bakura was still a master at masking his emotions when he wanted to be, and this was apparently one of those times.

_Like, on a date... a really special date._

The words played in Bakura's head, and truthfully he was happy. Possibly, this was why he pretended to be emotionless. Happiness was something he had come to known since he'd fallen in love, but it was still a foreign concept to him and he wasn't sure how to respond to it. At the same time, his dominant nature scoffed at his softened heart for allowing itself to feel such happiness. Eventually, he would smile and accept Marik's offer.


	15. To Egypt

For the next two months, Marik could hardly contain himself. He put off calling Ishizu, just as Bakura put off telling Ryou that he would not be allowed out much (if at all) during his winter break. By the time the museum closed for the winter, Marik had all but perfected his paintings of the God Cards though he was now using a percentage of his free time to plan the trip. Mere days after their anniversary they'd purchased their plane tickets together, which were tucked safely away in the bedside drawer in what used to be Marik's room. He had been sleeping in his boyfriend's bed for nearly a year at that point, but he still kept his belongings in the spare room to prevent re-organization. Ryou rarely – if ever – went in that room, and never dared have guests over for the night for fear of what the couple did. (Of course, they didn't have sex every night, but Ryou had no way of knowing when they would or wouldn't, and no faith that they'd restrain themselves just because there was a guest down the hall.)

At first, Marik began to feel guilty about the cost of the trip, as miscellaneous expenses were adding up a lot faster than he'd calculated. He knew Bakura _had_ the money, but he didn't feel comfortable relying on it. Thankfully, it was around that time that his paintings started to sell in bundles. Specifically, the original Egyptian style God Cards brought in way more revenue than he had expected. He briefly thought about how much he could earn if he replicated ancient scriptures, but his bloodlines as a tomb keeper refused to allow those thoughts to hang around.

With the first half of December behind them, Ryou was becoming suspicious about the careful way the couple had been behaving. Five days before winter vacation began, on the way home from school, he decided to confront Marik. Having been watching his thoughts very closely, Bakura informed his light half that he would not allow that. When Ryou tried to argue, Bakura threatened to forcibly take control, saying he wasn't going to let _anything_ mess this trip up for them.

That was how Ryou found out.

Bakura was able to get over his feelings about the confrontation, but sharing a body with someone who was determined _not_ to get over it made the spirit very irritable. In turn, Marik became upset and restless, and two days before the trip he broke down and suggested they cancel the whole thing. Bakura wasn't sure why his lover had gotten so upset, but he comforted him until it came out that his passive aggressiveness had put the Egyptian on edge. Now officially infuriated with Ryou (because, in Bakura's mind, he was the logically the one to blame), the spirit locked his light half away in his soul room. Of course, this meant that he would have to go to school in place of Ryou the next day, but he figured he could manage.

It had been years since Bakura had imitated his light, and the day proved to be quite the challenge. For one, Yugi and friends noticed almost immediately that it was the spirit and not Ryou, but they knew enough to keep their mouths shut. Reina and Kyoko, on the other hand, didn't know well enough and approached their friend as they would normally. It only took a few minutes for Bakura to explain (in his best Ryou voice) that he wasn't quite feeling himself that day, but that only served to make them slightly less annoying. When they noticed the Millennium Ring (which he hadn't actually _worn_ to school for ages), he quickly asked if he had told them about his plans for winter vacation. At first, they were puzzled, but when he blamed his memory lapse on lack of sleep, they gently explained that they'd made numerous attempts to get that information from him but he had been giving vague responses. Bakura sighed and reminded them that the Ring was a gift from 'his' father, then told them that his roommate had invited him to Egypt for the winter break. He said he had decided to wear the Ring because 'his' father got it in Egypt and he wanted to take it with him when he went. They were skeptical because – to their knowledge – Ryou and his roommate did not get along. Bakura grinned and called it a peace treaty.

The girls were smarter than they seemed, but they kept their suspicions to themselves for the rest of the day. Bakura made it through the school day, but his stroll out of the building at the end of it was brought to a halt by a familiar deep voice.

"Is it true?"

Bakura sneered and closed his eyes. He hardly wanted to see Yami's face. "Is _what_ true?"

"Is Marik really taking you to Egypt?" Yami pried. Bakura opened one eye and smirked.

"Why?" he twirled around and pinned the ex-pharaoh to the school's wall with one leg between the two slender than his. The hand that wasn't holding his briefcase formed a fist and hit the wall just above that ridiculous hairstyle. "Jealous?"

Yami's eyes darted side to side but he saw no obvious escape route.

_He's good at this_, Yugi commented. Yami scowled in disgust. He fixed his gaze on the eyes that were staring at him and he saw, with surprise, they were filled with emotion. Yami smirked.

"I might be," he tiled his head back in an effort to look down on the other, even though Bakura clearly had height on his side. "Whoever thought that a lowly _thief_ would find love?"

Bakura's eyes flashed but Yami wouldn't see it, for in what felt like the same moment he ended his sentence there was a blinding pain in his face. He'd been struck with the corner of Bakura's briefcase; though the evil spirit had greatly held back. Had he not, Yami would have been in agonizing pain, if he were even still conscious.

"Listen to me, _Pharaoh_," Bakura hissed the word and felt his blood boil along with it. "You've taken enough from me, don't you think? Do us a _bloody_ favor, and stay the _fuck_ out of my life."

With inhuman speed, Bakura was gone. He took it upon himself to 'misplace' his lover's phone as soon as he got home, so Marik wouldn't hear of the incident until their return to Domino, nearly three weeks later. Naturally, the tanned boy was devastated the next morning when he realized his phone had gone missing, but Bakura argued that they had to catch the taxi or they'd never make it to the airport in time. Marik had made it clear that there was no way he would leave his motorcycle parked in a strange place while they were gone, so catching a taxi was all they had left. Once they were sure they had everything else, they were on their way.

After successfully passing through airport security, they had less than forty minutes until their flight began boarding. Marik looked around anxiously. Without their checked luggage they each had one carry-on; Bakura had taken his briefcase and Marik had a messenger bag. In his loose turtleneck shirt, jean shorts and knee-high winter boots, the Egyptian teenage boy looked for any passerby like a Japanese high school girl. Bakura didn't know if his lover had bought women's clothing on purpose, but he looked so cute that he never questioned it.

"I want to call Ishizu," Marik tugged on his boyfriend's arm at the sight of a payphone. As he inched towards it, he felt himself being held back.

"Marik, stop," Bakura scolded. "It's six thirty in the morning here; don't you know what that means?"

Marik did the math in his head and blushed. "It's not even _today_ there, yet."

"Right," Bakura resisted the urge to smirk at his cuteness. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a coffee shop. "Let's get something to eat, shall we?"

Marik wasn't feeling very hungry, but they checked it out anyway.

Twelve long hours later, they had arrived in their destination. During the actual flight, the couple had done what they could to keep each other entertained, but Marik's anxiousness and Bakura's realization that his host was too young to order alcohol put the both of them at their wits end. Bakura ended up sleeping most of the way, while Marik kept himself busy with his sketchpad and the in-flight movies before finally submitting to sleep as well. Bakura woke up shortly before touchdown and found himself with a severe need to use the bathroom. His boyfriend, however, had decided he was a pillow, therefore restricting his ability to move. When he tried gently moving the boy aside, he was nuzzled and sleepily told 'I love you'. Once more, the softness in his heart took hold of him and he gave up trying to free himself.

When they landed, Bakura bit his lip and began to shake his lover.

"Wake up, pet," he whispered, "we're here."

Marik groaned but wouldn't wake up. Bakura was becoming annoyed.

"Marik," he said louder, his throat clicking with the last syllable. He growled quietly, "get up now, you little bitch."

Marik responded with a sharp breath and a mumble that wanted to be Bakura's name. Finally, Bakura pressed his lips to the other's and that seemed to do the trick. Marik woke up but, when he did, he had no idea why Bakura was so tense.

Having never been able to contact his sister, they were forced to take a taxi to their hotel. They had booked it in advance, knowing that Ishizu would accept them as visitors, but she wouldn't be comfortable allowing them to sleep in her living quarters. As the taxi drove fifteen or so miles, the boys watched outside their respective windows. Their fingers were laced together between them, but they knew they would have to be careful about revealing their sexuality here.

After being dropped off at the hotel, they settled in and discussed their plans. With the first half of the day gone and it being nearly eight p.m. back in Japan, they were feeling a little drowsy. Even though they had gotten sleep, spending twelve hours on a plane takes a lot out of a person. Eventually they agreed to spend the night in. They fell asleep with their clothes on, and woke up eight hours later. It was approximately nine p.m. in Egypt now, which was four a.m. back home. Regardless, there was no denying that they'd slept off their drowsiness and wouldn't be hitting the hay again anytime soon.

Packing for the trip was easier than they thought, and unpacking went even smoother. Their accommodations were better than the standard hotel room, but they hadn't sprung for anything too high-quality as they did not plan to spend much time indoors. It took less than an hour to organize their things; even combined they didn't have enough clothing to fill the dresser, and they had only brought the essentials otherwise. At this hour, they had no intentions of going out, but they were hit suddenly with the realization that they hadn't had much to eat all day. They ordered room service and flicked through the TV channels until it arrived then, once they were sure they'd be left alone, they put in one of the DVDs they'd brought along with them and snuggled up to watch it.

At midnight, Bakura wished Marik a happy birthday. He had not purchased a gift before they left just in case any of their luggage went missing, but he promised to buy him something later in the day. They were awake through the night and into the morning, so Marik decided they should wait until they'd adjusted their sleeping schedule before going to see his sister. Bakura pointed out that it put them at risk if they travelled too much, but Marik was confident enough.

"Besides," he said, fluffing his hair and planting a kiss on his lover's cheek, "I want to go shopping!"

Bakura rolled his eyes but he supposed they had to. Aside from the promise he'd made, Marik had deliberately not packed any hair care products so he'd have an excuse to buy the ones he was more used to. They took a taxi to a nearby motorcycle rental to pick up a bike Marik had reserved, then headed for the nearest shopping district.

By the late afternoon, Marik had spent the money he'd set aside for the day, but he was happy. Bakura picked up a few small things that caught his eye but nothing major. Marik insisted that he didn't need a gift and they eventually gave up on the idea. When they returned to the hotel they locked the door so they could mess around. Keeping quiet proved to be difficult, but they turned it into a game so that the challenge would not discourage them.

They cuddled for nearly an hour afterward but weren't quite ready to go to sleep yet. They decided to wander the building and stopped to grab dinner when they passed by the restaurant. When they returned to their room, they were spent, but Marik made sure to tell his love that he had enjoyed his birthday very much.

**a/n;**_ i wasn't very happy with this chapter. i hope i'm not losing my drive to write..._


	16. Family Matters

They crashed and woke up around five a.m., took their time getting ready, then headed for Ishizu's home. Bakura was weary as they'd only talked about Marik's life after Battle City once or twice and from the sound of things Ishizu's personality had changed. Living above ground, for one, had taken a lot of getting used to. She'd managed to keep her job, but work was her life and she was oblivious to much else. Those things aside, she and Marik hadn't talked much since he moved to Domino and neither of them knew how she truly felt about him anymore. As his sister she would always love him, he knew that, but she also knew her behavior was a determining factor in his decision to leave, and her loyalty to their religion and heritage made her very much unable to accept the way he was living.

When they arrived, Odion came out the front door almost immediately. Despite no longer being their servant, he maintained his loyal personality and took care of Ishizu much like a housewife.

"M...Master Marik?" he couldn't contain his shock. He waited anxiously for the boy to step off the vehicle and remove his helmet. When he did, the blonde greeted his step-brother with a pleasant smile.

"Hello, Odion."

Odion smiled nervously, his eyes darting from his brother to his friend and back to the door. "Ishizu is..."

"She doesn't know we're coming," Bakura said quickly. "Marik wanted to call but his phone went missing."

"Do you need us to buy you a new phone, Master?" Odion asked. Marik laughed and hugged his step-brother.

"No, I'm sure it's at home somewhere," he pushed away in a girly fashion, leaving Odion confused, "and stop calling me Master, I thought we went over that already?"

"Forgive me, Ma...rik," Odion caught himself as he walked toward the house. Marik smiled and held his hand out to Bakura who laced their fingers together before following them indoors. The building was quaint; the front door lead into the kitchen, but you could see into the living room from the doorway. Bakura smirked down at his lover as the tanned boy looked around nostalgically. He would have only lived here for a year, but it was home nonetheless.

Marik closed his eyes, inhaled the scent of Odion's cooking then grinned at the young man. The happiness gave way to confusion as he observed that Odion was shifting rather uncomfortably.

"Is something the matter, Odion?" Marik asked. Bakura suddenly took his hand back and stepped away from his lover, earning a hurt look from the boy. "Bakura..."

Bakura cleared his throat and tilted his head toward Odion. It took a moment, but Marik finally put two and two together. Before he could speak, a door was heard opening, closing, and then a voice came from the living room.

"Odion? Are you cooking already?"

"Ishizu," Odion tried, but it was too late. She stepped into the kitchen and froze at the sight of her baby brother.

"Marik?" she was either in awe, or disbelief. "Is that really you?"

Marik smirked and held out his arms. "Sister, are you still hallucinating?"

Ishizu blushed. Since giving up the Millennium Necklace she could no longer make predictions, but the power it had created in her left behind some trace and she often suffered visions and déjà vu. Marik and Odion were the only two she'd told about it, and the cruelty in the joke somehow solidified the idea that the boy she now saw was, indeed, her brother.

The siblings crossed the small room and embraced one another. Ishizu planted a kiss on her brother's forehead, but when she did she took notice of the other visitor they had. She cleared her throat nervously and held Marik by the shoulders so she could look into his eyes. Marik's smile faltered and he shook his head warningly.

"Ishizu, we're here on vacation," he explained. "Our plane back home leaves on the morning of the seventh."

"That's two weeks," she observed. She looked back to Bakura with a troubled expression, but when her eyes returned to Marik's she forced herself to smile. "Will you be visiting me often?"

"As often as possible," he smirked. He walked back to Bakura and hugged the boy's waist causing him to grin nervously. When Marik looked up and saw this, he scoffed. "Bakura, it's fine. We're in the privacy of my home, now."

"My home, actually," Ishizu put in, "and I'd appreciate it if you could behave, brother."

Marik looked back to her with genuine surprise. "Behave? What do you take me for, Ishizu?"

"Marik," Bakura warned, but the boy was too upset.

"No, Bakura," he said firmly. "Sister, I understand you're not comfortable with my personal life, and I didn't come here with the intention of flaunting it. I know as well as the next person that being gay is looked down upon here but I thought, at the least, I could hug my own boyfriend in front of the two other most important people in my life."

Odion had returned to his cooking, trying to ignore the conversation. Ishizu cast a glance at him, then looked back to Marik. "I'm sorry, brother, I just..."

"Wait," the tanned boy pointed accusatively, "I'm not finished. I don't appreciate you keeping secrets from Odion. He has a right to know..."

"She told me," Odion put in. Marik was silent for a moment, then began to ease.

"Oh," was all he said at first. "Well then, I guess I know how you feel about it. I'm sorry, Ishizu."

"Forgive me... Marik," once more, the young man caught himself, "I was raised more strictly than our sister."

Marik couldn't help but feel his step-brother's unease was partially due to how loyally he'd served him for so many years, but he was already disappointed with this reunion and didn't want to risk making it any worse.

"Fine, then," he said decisively. "If it makes you both feel better, Bakura and I will pretend to be just friends."

Considerably uncomfortable at this point, Bakura strolled over to Odion and observed what he was making. He failed to hide his confusion as he looked back and forth from the two plates trying to figure out what was on them. Odion gave him a look that was mostly irritated, but also showed a hint of curiosity. In an effort to fix the damage already done, Bakura decided to be social and asked Odion to explain what it was. The young man instantly brightened. Marik all but gaped in surprise, but Bakura leaned over and dropped him a subtle wink. With a pitiful smile, Marik shook his head and mouthed the words 'thank you'.

Bakura had no interest in eating what Odion had made, but the young man was more than happy to serve his breakfast to his step-brother. Marik turned him down at first but Ishizu commented that she would like to share a sit-down meal with him. She pointed out that it was getting cold and Odion assured him that he did not mind having to prepare more for himself. The siblings sat at the small kitchen table and swapped stories about recent events in their lives, while Bakura watched over Odion's shoulder to see how these strange meals were prepared. Odion asked the spirit if he was sure he didn't want to try it, but he simply grinned.

"I'm not kosher like your family," he explained, "I've cut back on my meat intake, but it's still part of my diet."

Odion looked at him thoughtfully. He knew the answer, but wanted to hear it. "Why?"

"Why?" the spirit mused. "I don't share your beliefs, I wasn't..."

"Not that," the young man pressed, "why do you eat less of it now?"

Bakura looked away and scoffed. "I share my meals with someone who doesn't approve of it."

Odion did as Ishizu had earlier and forced a smile.

During their breakfast, Ishizu informed Marik that because he had not warned her he was coming, she wasn't going to be able to set aside much time in the day to spend with him. He understood and explained again why he hadn't called, then proceeded to arrange a day which they could spend together. Bakura and Odion didn't talk much once they left the kitchen, but neither of them minded. They knew that allowing Marik and Ishizu time together was what was most important.

Odion busied himself with cleaning while Bakura observed the small home, making sure not to wander too far. The siblings went to their bedrooms (Marik was hardly surprised to see that his hadn't been touched) and Ishizu showed off the few gifts she'd bought herself in the year since he'd been home. One of the things she picked up was a small black box which she handed to her brother.

"I know we've left our past behind us, Marik," she said, "but I always wanted to give you this."

Marik opened the box curiously. Inside was an enameled copper winged scarab necklace. He smiled and closed the box then hugged his sister. "Thank you, Ishizu, but you know I don't like loose jewelry."

"I do," she smiled back, "but I hoped you'd at least hang it up somewhere and think of me whenever you saw it."

He nodded, "I can do that, sister."

He looked to the side, seeming sad all of a sudden. He set the box on her vanity, then sat on her bed and motioned for her to do the same. She watched with growing concern as he looked away; his hands fidgeting nervously. She put a hand on his shoulder causing him to jump and look at her.

"What's wrong, brother?" she asked, fearing the answer. In a wave of emotion, he threw his face in his hands.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" he repeated frantically, "how can you even ask that, sister? Everything I've ever done has disgraced our family. I spit in the face of our ancestors, turned my back on my duties, murdered our own father, and set my sights on killing the very Pharaoh I was supposed to devote my life to!"

"Marik, Marik," she whispered soothingly, pulling him closer. He turned and grasped the wide collar of her dress and broke down in her arms. "Shh, it's alright, brother. We've already dealt with all of that."

"Sure we have," he cried, "and then I turned my back on the only two people I had left, the two who had stood by my side and still loved me even after everything I'd done!"

"Odion and I never thought less of you for leaving, brother," Ishizu assured. "We never thought you were running away or trying to hurt us. This life just isn't suited for you."

"Clearly not!" Marik had stopped crying and was angry now. "By leaving, I disgraced you more and spit in the face of every rule against us. I don't live at home, I don't provide for you, I'm dating outside of intent to marry, I've had premarital sex... oh, and I'm _gay_."

Ishizu winced at the last word, though less at its meaning and more at the mocking way in which her brother had said it. For her own sanity, she completely ignored the second to last thing he'd listed. She placed a hand over his and gave the most sincere smile she could muster when he looked at her.

"Marik, listen," she sounded more like a mother than a sister, "I love you. Odion loves you. _We_ are your family, we are all that matters..."

"And we accept you," Odion put in, causing the siblings to look toward the bedroom door. Neither of them knew how long he'd been standing there but they were both too overwhelmed to care. Marik opened his mouth to speak, but Odion came in and sat beside Ishizu. "I may not have spent much time with him, but I can tell your friend really cares about you."

Ishizu observed the even way Odion spoke. The change was too drastic; it made her suspicious.

"Do you really believe that?" Marik asked hopefully. Odion nodded. Ishizu would need more convincing, but the gesture was enough for the tanned boy. "Thank you, Odion. It means the world to know I have your support."


	17. A Thing of the Past

**a/n:**_ sorry for the delay; this chapter and the one or two to follow are slightly awkward, as I had not planned to stretch the story out this long and have lost my drive to write it as a result. hopefully, my readers won't be too disappointed :heart:_  
><em>Also, my deviantART watchers will notice this was uploaded a month ago. i forgot to bring it here. sorry watchers<em> 

* * *

><p>Ishizu behaved oddly for the rest of the day. When she blamed her distracted mind on work, the couple decided they had overstayed their welcome. No matter how much truth there was to her excuse, they knew it was only half of what was eating at her. On the way out, Marik hugged his step brother and quietly apologized for the way the day had gone.<p>

Odion shook his head, smiling. "If we had known you were coming, things probably would have gone worse."

Marik laughed nervously. "Worse than they did? I don't think that's possible."

Odion nodded. "We wouldn't have behaved naturally; it would have been quiet and awkward."

Marik raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think it was awkward anyway?"

Odion's eyes shifted to the rented motorcycle and the white-haired entity leaning against it. His gaze then trailed back to the boy who was no longer his master and gave the same awkward smile from before. "I think it should have been hardest on your friend, but he was more level-headed than any of us."

Marik turned to look over his shoulder and offered his boyfriend a girlish wave, followed by a motion that he'd only be a moment longer. When he turned back to Odion, he was all but beaming proudly. "That's my Bakura," he said happily, then blushed and diverted his gaze as he realized his behavior. "I mean, he's tough to figure out. Nothing fazes him."

Odion gave his step brother a gentle shove. "Go on, before Ishizu decides to try socializing again."

Marik offered the young man a modest, thankful goodbye, then joined his lover at the motorbike.

It wasn't yet nine o'clock but Marik had the day planned out. Their first stop was the museum, which was just opening when they arrived. Marik's relation to Ishizu allowed him more leniency than the average visitor, but the newer staff members didn't recognize him and he ended up talking to security. They quickly verified his identity but remained wary of his guest, so Marik gave a brief explanation which satisfied them. Once they were alone, Bakura suddenly became irritable.

"What's the matter, Baku-_rin_?" Marik taunted. He knew his lover hated pet names but they never failed to grab his attention. Bakura brushed the question off but he was still tense. Marik frowned and whispered, "honey, what's wrong?"

Bakura opened his mouth, closed it then growled. "I don't know what you said to them."

Marik tilted his head and looked back even though the staff members they'd been talking to were long gone. When he turned back to his boyfriend it suddenly clicked that they'd been speaking Arabic. "I'm sorry, I thought you understood. You _are_ from here, after all."

By the time the tanned boy realized he shouldn't have said that, it was too late. Bakura's hatred of weakness turned his embarrassment into anger. "It's been three thousand _bloody_ years, Marik!" he yelled just a little too loud. "Do you think _your_ memory is good enough to transcend time like that?"

Marik swerved around the nearest corner and leaned against the wall, grateful that it was opening hours so the visitors were few and far between. When he was sure they weren't being watched anymore he said, "I'm sorry."

Bakura sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked in a random direction, simply because his lover managed to pacify his anger more quickly than his pride wanted to show. "Just tell me what you said. You were talking about me."

Marik blushed. "I'm allowed certain rights that normal visitors aren't, but they don't really trust me because of the whole killing my father and fleeing from my heritage thing."

"Your dark half killed your father," Bakura said plainly. To anyone else it would sound like cold fact, but to Marik it was a reminder from a concerned lover that he was not responsible for the emotionally trying memory. He nodded.

"They don't understand that, though," he sighed, "they only lengthen my leash because of Ishizu, so when they saw I had company – a foreigner, no less – they got nervous."

Bakura raised a brow at him, "and you said…?"

Marik gave a half-smirk, "I told them the truth… mostly. I said you are a close friend of mine from Japan, that your ancestry traces back to Ancient Egypt and we're hoping to learn more about those roots."

Bakura hesitated, there was still one more thing bothering him. "Did you tell them where I'm from?"

Marik shook his head. "They may not all be scholars, but they _do_ work here. If I mentioned Kul Elna, who knows what they'd think?"

Bakura scoffed, but Marik could tell his mind was at ease – on this topic, at least. The white haired boy brushed his fingers along tanned skin tauntingly as they returned to their original path and it took every ounce of control to ignore it.

As they browsed the museum, Marik enjoyed quizzing himself before reading the information about each artifact. Everything was written twice, once in Arabic and once in broken English; Bakura could read the latter but sometimes it was so poorly translated that he still couldn't understand. Since most of it was from either royalty or everyday life, there was very little that actually interested him.

Marik stayed close to his boyfriend and caught himself reaching for his hand or arm more than once. He desperately wanted to cuddle or exchange even the slightest hint of affections but he knew it wasn't allowed and he didn't want to risk upsetting the other, so he maintained his act.

"How many of them are descendants of thieves themselves?" Bakura suddenly mused. Marik gave a quick laugh.

"Are you still on about that?" the tanned boy spoke in a playful tone. "Let it go, Baku-_rin_."

Bakura growled and shoved Marik away. The boy stumbled but caught himself while his partner greatly resisted pinning him to a vertical surface. "Stop calling me that. I'm not your girlfriend."

Marik nearly blurt out a thoughtless response but he bit his tongue in time.

Despite the museum's impressive size, they were ready to leave in about two hours. They detoured through a shopping district, stopped at a quaint restaurant for lunch and discussed the idea of attending a guided tour. This was quickly dismissed as a bad idea so they decided to do a little sight-seeing instead. After a lot of driving with no destination, Marik began to grow tired.

"Bakura," he called back, slowing the motorcycle to a stop. "I think that's enough for today."

When he was met with silence, Marik removed his helmet and glanced over his shoulder. Bakura caught his gaze and stole a kiss. The tanned boy blushed, revved the motor and began to turn the bike around, then the spirit spoke up.

"Take me to where my hometown used to be."

For a moment, Marik could only blink in confusion. "I don't… I'm not sure where that is."

"You can find it," Bakura replied. Marik shook his head and began protesting but Bakura continued, "I can help."

Marik sighed, "Bakura, we really shouldn't…_ anything_ could be there now."

"I know that," his tone suggested he was biting back angry words. "I don't care. I just want to see it."

"Why?" Marik tried one last time. "It'll just bring back painful memories."

"The memories never left," he tightened his hold on his boyfriend's waist, probably without knowing it. "They never stopped. I can still see the blood, the bodies… the horror in the villagers' eyes…"

Marik cleared his throat, replaced his helmet, and revved the motor once more. "Are you sure about this?"

Bakura nodded and, when prompted, began leading the way.

Kul Elna had been an exiled village and therefore skirted the main city. Using Marik's knowledge of the land and Bakura's memories, it took them an hour to find the approximate location where the town once stood. As they'd predicted, it had not been preserved, nor was it in very good shape for modern times.

The houses were few and close together, so much that they could not navigate the streets by motorcycle. Marik was against leaving the bike anywhere visible, foremost because they'd have no way back and secondly because it was a rental. Bakura suggested hiding it in the Shadow Realm which Marik objected to on the grounds that they would have to go there to retrieve it.

The spirit crossed his arms and said pointedly, "Marik, there is no other way to hide it," he gestured toward the bike with one hand, "it sticks out in a poor town like this."

Marik clenched his fists. "What if it gets lost?"

Bakura rested the outstretched hand on his hip. "I was trapped there for quite some time, or don't you remember?"

Marik blushed. "I didn't mean… my Yami…"

Bakura shook his head, "you had no reason to stay with me back then. My point is: I can navigate it well."

After a last moment's hesitation, Marik nodded. The Millennium Ring glowed, Bakura touched the bike's handle and the vehicle slowly disappeared, cloaked in a blanket of invisibility. Once the darkness had consumed it, the white-haired entity turned and offered his boyfriend the closest thing to a smile. Still a little worried, Marik offered a meek smile in return. Bakura turned his attention to the town and tousled Marik's hair as he walked past.


	18. Foreshadowing

They walked through a narrow gap between two houses and observed their structure on the way. They looked very much like traditional ancient houses and were made with seemingly cheap materials. Marik was uneasy but Bakura could not have comforted him if he wanted to. Aside from not wanting to reveal their relationship, the spirit was all but entranced. His eyes glazed over as he was taken back through his memories, back to his childhood – before the massacre.

Marik kept quiet and stayed close to his lover, moving only when he moved. He wasn't sure why he had such a bad feeling about this place; he tried telling himself it was just nerves, then something strange happened. His scars began to burn. His entire back felt like it was on fire, the pain akin to when his father's searing blade had first carved into his flesh, only now he felt the knife dipping into every jagged raise in his skin, tracing, refreshing the mark.

The tanned boy was holding his breath, forcing back every scream and moan that tried to escape. His eyes shut tight and he began panting; the fit drew Bakura back to modern times and he stared at his love with a mix of irritation and concern.

"Marik, what are you doing?" he asked, placing a hand on the boy's back. Marik stopped writhing and his eyes opened wide; he was still catching his breath but had noticeably calmed. Bakura continued to stare, awaiting an answer.

Marik swallowed hard before trying to speak. "You stopped it… the pain stopped, when you touched me…"

Bakura glanced at his hand and pulled it away. The burn that had lingered in Marik's lower back began creeping up eagerly. Marik clenched his teeth and Bakura rested his hand on the spot again, earning a relieved sigh from his boyfriend.

"Marik, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure," the tanned boy replied, "my back is burning, but the pain goes away when you touch it."

Bakura frowned and moved his hand to Marik's lower back. The spot cooled but the scars between his shoulder blades began to tingle. After coming all this way, he didn't want to be the reason they had to leave, so he forced a smile.

"Maybe if we head deeper into town, it'll stop," he suggested. "Until then, would you mind?"

Bakura made a face of disapproval, but Marik could see the worry deep in his eyes. Bakura shifted his hand to the center of Marik's back, hoping to relieve as much of his phantom pain as possible and the couple continued on their way.

As they passed what appeared to be the end of the housing area, Marik thought he felt his pain lessen. It wasn't until they began to see merchants (though they looked uninviting, to say the least) that he truly felt his skin cool and quietly told Bakura that he could remove his hand. As much as the spirit had liked having an excuse to touch his lover in public, he welcomed the consent as they were beginning to receive nasty looks from the villagers they passed.

"What were you thinking about before?" Marik asked suddenly. Bakura glanced at him but kept his eyes mostly on their surroundings. The boy pressed, "you seemed… happy."

Bakura scoffed but it lacked his usual arrogance. Marik recognized that he was hiding his emotions. "My mother."

At first, the boy was quiet. He looked to the ground then stopped in place. "I never knew my mother."

Bakura slowed to a stop and observed his love. "Do you know what she was like?"

Marik looked up and started walking again. "Ishizu says she was very kind, unlike our father. Odion says he heard them arguing a lot, that they didn't really get along at all."

"Women don't much have stomachs for violence," Bakura said thoughtfully. "My mother raised me by herself. I never knew my father. A lot of rumors went around that I was an accident, but she didn't treat me like one."

Marik smiled, wondering if Bakura realized how easily he was opening up. The spirit caught the smile and scoffed again, but under the waning sun Marik caught the faintest touch of pink on pale cheeks.

They had passed the street merchants and were now in another area with buildings. Instead of houses, these ones looked like stores. Like the houses, however, they were only as good as limited building material allowed them to be. One stood out from the others as it was not the color of sand and limestone but a smoky, slate grey. Above the door was a weather-damaged awning which once flaunted a pattern of thin stripes in alternating colours. Despite its rundown appearance, Marik was drawn to it, though Bakura was less than amused.

"Don't you think we've done enough shopping?" the spirit chastised. Marik glanced back but offered no response and continued to the door. With a sigh, Bakura followed. "I doubt anyone's in there, let alone…"

His words fell on deaf ears as Marik pressed his shoulder to the aged door and pushed. It gave way enough to make the tanned boy believe it would open so he pushed again. When the door refused to move, Bakura thought he might give up, but he was summoning his strength to give the stone door a shove. Finally, it submitted to him.

"Geez," Marik sighed. "Either this place _is _abandoned, or the owner doesn't care for first impressions."

Bakura rolled his eyes and followed his eager lover inside. For no explained reason, the door closed behind them.

On the inside, the building looked like an old (albeit unfurnished) house. They passed through a small hallway and came to what was once a family room. A doorless arch gave way to the adjacent room, presumably a kitchen, then another with a window which was most likely a bedroom. Marik turned his back to the window and sighed. Bakura crossed his arms.

"Are you satisfied, Marik? There's nothing here, let's go."

Something in his voice seemed off, but Marik dismissed it. In reality, the spirit could sense something; it wasn't dark but definitely other-worldly, and it was bothering him. They turned back through the small house with Bakura now leading the way. As they neared the door, however, he slowed to a stop.

"What is it?" Marik asked, peering over his boyfriend's shoulder. Not only had the door closed by itself, but it had revealed another, more conventional door. Spiritual energy radiated from whatever lied beyond it. Bakura growled lowly and reached back for Marik's hand.

"Let's go."

Marik jumped at the touch and pulled his hand away, wincing at the glare he was shot for doing so. "Bakura, I want to see…"

"No," the spirit firmly interrupted the boy's whining. "There's nothing here. We're leaving."

"Is there something bothering you, Bakura?" Marik asked. His voice held genuine concern but that didn't stop the spirit from noticing the repeated use of his name – a tactic the boy often used when he wanted something.

"Only that we're wasting time here," he replied.

"It's not a waste of time," Marik snaked past and went for the door. "Just a little peek, then we can go."

Bakura grit his teeth but Marik had made his decision. The open door gave way to a questionable staircase and Bakura tried once more to coax his lover away. In a rare show of defiance, Marik waved off his warnings and descended.

Bakura lingered back until the heavy air from below began creeping out through the doorway. Even at the top of the stairs, he wondered how his boyfriend had been unable to sense the foreign energy from below. The stairs went on for over two minutes and it became too dark to see without using the light from his Millennium Ring. If he hadn't known better, he'd have feared Marik fell to the bottom.

When his feet touched flat ground once more, Bakura could hear his boyfriend's voice. He looked to the right and saw faint light coming from behind a translucent curtain. It seemed to be the direction Marik had gone, so he approached it.

Marik looked over his shoulder when the curtain shifted and his eyes brightened. Bakura was less than thrilled as he observed what his lover had found. His eyes came to rest on a woman standing behind a table against the far wall. The table was covered in a worn purple cloth with gold trim; he took little interest in the array of items that lay atop it. The woman had traditional, thick, black eyeliner, and her skin looked as though it were naturally tan but had not seen the sun in ages. She was wearing a gold-toned, beaded headdress over her straight, black hair, and a white dress with a decorated collar.

"Lady Sybil said you'd follow me down here," Marik explained. "She's a psychic."

Bakura sneered. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"

Marik nodded, "I told her you wouldn't come, but she said you would."

"She took a guess," Bakura rolled his eyes. "How did you make it down here in one piece, anyway?"

"Oh, you mean the stairs?" Marik tilted his head. "I was raised underground, I can see really well in the dark."

"You're a tomb keeper, then?" Sybil asked. Marik nodded, then touched his hair nervously.

"I used to be," he explained, "but I'm not really… anymore…"

Sybil closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "You have wronged your family in many ways, it seems."

Marik blushed. "Well, yeah, but I… I helped the Pharaoh!"

Bakura shot a look at the boy who hung his head submissively. Sybil was breathing deeply.

"I have had visions all my life of ancient spirits wandering our modern world," she spoke mystically. "I have encountered beings that possess great and ancient power, yet they seem to draw it from an outside source. Only one spirit has shown himself to me; the guardian of the items which harness dark energy from three millennia ago."

Bakura crossed his arms over the Ring protectively. Sybil's eyes snapped to him and for a brief second he felt as though her gaze had actually penetrated his mind. In that moment her eyes flashed a colour he could not identify then she was normal again. Marik seemed entirely unaware of the exchange. Her eyes trailed slowly to him and she smiled.

"Now then, Marik," her voice was thick with an accent other than Arabic, one that Marik didn't know. "Would you like me to tell your fortune?"

Marik nodded and approached the table. She took his hand in hers and he shivered but smiled politely when she looked up. Bakura raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity. Sybil traced the lines in Marik's hand and fed him information that she saw. She complimented his intelligence and gave constructive criticism on his problem solving and mental strength. Bakura stifled a laugh, knowing by the look in his partner's face that the boy took offense to some of the things she said.

Sybil read off his life line and money line saying little of real interest, then curiously told him that she could not read his marriage line. Marik cast a glance at Bakura who only shrugged. When she began to read his love line, she suddenly lost color in her face and looked at the two boys suspiciously. She cleared her throat but her voice still shook slightly.

"It seems your past relationships are quite disarrayed," she observed, "you don't appear to have found love outside your family until recently, and even within your family you scarcely experienced it. Your emotional development is weak; you tend to remain objective and avoid deep personal bonds, however, you treat the ones you care about with kindness and do what you can to advise them. The success of your relationships relies heavily on your partner's ability to communicate and maintain level ground. You need to know that your partner respects you, and you can't stand to be restricted."

"Are you a psychic, or an astrology book?" Bakura interrupted. "Marik, this woman has done nothing but tell you things that you already know."

"That's true," Marik said levelly, "but how could she possibly know them?"

Bakura growled again. "I didn't come here to have some stranger analyze you. I'm leaving."

"You can't go far," Marik reminded him, "you don't have a motorcycle license, and besides, I have the keys."

"I don't care," Bakura stopped at the curtain. "Come find me when you're done wasting time."

Marik felt a pang in his heart when Bakura actually left but he swallowed his pain and returned his attention to Sybil. She was studying him with increasing unease and he quickly took his hand away.

"Let's do something else," he said, browsing the room for a second chair. He spotted one against the wall and pulled it to the table so he could sit down. "Can you actually read my fortune?"

Sybil picked up a deck of tarot cards from the edge of the table. "I don't think you'll like what I have to tell you."

Marik was visibly confused but still insisted. With a sigh, Sybil shuffled the cards and began the spread.


End file.
